


Where The Sleeper Waits

by SinclairMaxwell



Series: Sleeper Trilogy [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Lord of the Rings (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Male Slash, dub-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-10
Updated: 2012-06-10
Packaged: 2017-11-07 10:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 55,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/429845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SinclairMaxwell/pseuds/SinclairMaxwell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A strange child rides with the Nazgul. Valo is taken under the care of Aragorn as the journey begins but he holds many secrets, many unknown to Valo himself. Why does Sauron want his precious "Key" back so badly? Can Legolas get passed his hatred for the Morgul child? SLASH! Legarry!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nazgul Pursuit

A/N: Okay! My first posting in…well, forever. Lol, but I hope all of you are gearing up for another great fanfic! This is a LotR/HP crossover and there will be more than one pairing though the main pairing is Legolas/Harry. This is SLASH! Don't like, don't tell me about it, I don't care. If you don't like slash, then don't read it. Duh. There will be MULTIPLE PAIRINGS, and DUBIOUS CONSENT. There, warnings over. Yay! Big shout out to StarAngel Caelum SunSoar for inspiring me to get off my butt and post this. J

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Period. Don't sue.

Where The Sleeper Waits

Chapter One~~~ Nazgul Pursuit

The shriek of the Nazgul sounded from below the window, their cries of rage as they discovered no dead hobbits beneath the sheets. Frodo and Strider watched from the opposite window the creatures tear the inn apart. Below in the street though, there was one Nazgul still on horseback. This one had never entered the inn. Strider watched the wraith's form with a frown. More peculiarly was a small figure slouched against the Black Rider's form, in a cloak of black itself. The sight had the Ranger on edge. Was it a new enemy? The figure was too small to be a Nazgul and too boneless to be conscious. The Ring Wraith held him in the saddle before him, an armored hand around his stomach almost protectively. He would have to tell Lord Elrond of this small figure who rode with the Nazgul of Mordor. Nothing good could come of it's existence. Could it perhaps shed light on the Dark Lord's plans?

~o~

Arwen raced for the river, trying with all of her might to outrun the horrors that now chased them from the darkest pits. The Nazgul were closing in around her and Frodo's breaths were becoming more and more labored with every mile. With every breath taken, Frodo's struggles for air began to sound more and more like the shrieks that were beginning to close in around them. She saw the Rider to her side let off a screech that pierced her elven soul to it's depths. The way through the pine trees separating them from the river were treacherous and were perfect for an ambush. She just had to stay ahead of their quarry and they would be safe once they made it into Imladris lands. She crossed the river at last, the enemy halting at it's opposite edge.

"Give us the Halfling, She-Elf!" The Witch King demanded in a rasping voice that left no doubt to his ruined state beneath his cloak.

She drew her sword furiously, ready to die to protect the small Halfling in her arms.

"If you want him, then come and claim him!"

They would not lay a hand on Frodo if it was in her power to prevent it! It was when they began their slow crossing that she noticed the strange, cloaked figure slumped in the Wraith's arms. The demon seemed to clutch him against his figure protectively though the form was not much bigger than Frodo himself. A child? Were the Nazgul kidnapping children now for some damned purpose? She began her chant, her eyes never leaving that figure that was almost possessively pressed against the Nazgul. The form was covered from head to foot in the black robes of the Nazgul, not a single hint of flesh peeking out. The child almost seemed to be sleeping…The river began to rise with her words, the ground shaking in anticipation. She eyed the now hesitating enemy down with a hard glare. If only she could save the child held against the Witch King…

With a roar and the power and mystique of a herd of wild stallions, the river cascaded down on the wraiths, sweeping them all away in a rush of shrieks and water. A choked, grating gasp alerted her to the hobbit in her arm's plight. His skin had gone pale as bone and his eyes misted over as if in death. Arwen could feel him slipping into shadow. With a small cry she lowered Frodo to the ground, his eyes already taking on the glazed, dead look of one of the nine ruined kings. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight and she hugged the small hobbit to her. No...she had failed. Even as Frodo gasped for breath in her arms, another wheezing breath caught her notice. Half crawling, half stumbling over to them over the rocks of the riverbank was the small Rider in black. Now, however, his hood was down and she could see that he was not one of the Nazgul as she had at first suspected. He was just a boy. His black hair, as dark as hers and the color of crow feathers, fell around his face, dripping wet from the river and hanging down to his elbows. His emerald eyes were the brightest she had ever seen though they were glazed as if he did not know where he was or even who. She would have mistaken him for Elvin at first though his ears were not pointed.

He crawled over to them, his breath hard and labored until he did something she did not expect in all of her long years of immortality. He leaned over the dying Frodo and, without a moments hesitation, pressed his lips softly to the dying boy's. Frodo arched up as if in pain but the elvish princess was frozen in shock as if by some unseen hand. She felt helpless to stop his apparent pain. What was happening? Was he hurting the small Ring Bearer? How could she stop something she did not understand? The strange boy, no more than a second or two later though it felt like a hour, fell to Frodo's side unconscious, leaving her even more confused than before. What had just happened? Arwen looked down at the pair and a shocked gasp tore itself from her throat. Frodo lay, his skin returning to it's healthy peachy color and the blackness fading from the wound as if he had never been stabbed at all! His eyes were closed in sleep now but his breathing was even and normal. The influence of the Nazgul was gone! He had been stripped of the darkness with just a simple kiss from a strange boy. Surely she had to take this stranger to her Ada. Who was he that he could heal in seconds something so foul? The screeches of the Nazgul sounded from downstream furiously and as quickly as she could, Arwen hoisted both boys onto her saddle, glad for their small frames as she urged her steed towards Rivendale and her waiting beloved.

~o~

"Who is he?"

"He was with the Nazgul in Bree where I found the hobbits." Came a silky dark voice.

''A Ranger. A Ranger from the north'' the voice that remained with him ever present hissed, the sounds of the language of Mordor scraping along his brain like tongues of cold fire, both pleasure and pain.

"He saved Frodo, Ada. He took the poison of the wraiths right from his body." A chiming beautiful voice insisted.

He would have listened further but a burning, searing pain lanced through him, bending his back. He sat up and, much to the shock of the room's three occupants, his eyes shot open. The burn was like red hot nails being forced into every cell of his body at once. It focused even stronger in his stomach and lungs though. He gave an ear splitting shriek of agony, unable to contain the pain any longer. His cry was cut short as a violent wave of black sludge forced it's way out of his throat. It poured from him in what seemed like an unending wave before it eventually stopped. He was sobbing lightly, looking down at the goo that now covered his chin, front and hands. It was thick and sticky, leaving a foul taste in his mouth as he tried to cough it out of his throat. The pain had dispelled with the goo so only a light nausea remained. With pleading eyes, he looked up at the four occupants of the room. Three elves and one man. The Ranger looked at him in sympathy though there was a wariness there as well. The teen had not missed the hand flirting with his sword when he had screamed. The pain gave aNother violent jerk before steadily calming. The poison in his mouth tasted foul. He imagined that his Master's kiss would taste this way, though he banished the thought furiously. His Master was everything to him. There would be no having such dark thoughts about the one person who had given him so much.

"Are you well, child?" The Elf Lord asked and though his voice was kind, he couldn't help but to instinctually shy away from his foreign touch when the man reached out to touch his head.

He had not been touched by warm hands since...he had a flash of a red haired smiling male and a strange looking female before it was swallowed by the darkness. He lost the thought as quickly as it came, the memories slipping through his fingers like water. He gave a pathetic keening whimper, wiping the sludge from his mouth. He hoped he never had to do that again. The Ranger came and sat at his side on the bed, pulling a small cloth from his cloak. Tilting his head up, the man wiped his face tenderly. No one had ever been so soft with him before and he found himself leaning into the touch. It was gentle though delivered with sword calloused hands and kind. There was no one like that at home. No one but cruel things and the Witch King who kept him. Sometimes there was Master.

"What are you called, little one?" The Man asked, pushing his long hair behind his ear.

He bit his lip, his soul craving and crying out for that soft touch. It felt so nice but…The Elves put him on edge, nameless whispers of forgotten orcs speaking in their dark tongue about the deadly speed with which the elf-people slaughtered them. Would they kill him too? Would they slaughter him like some mindless beast as well?

"They call me Valokiloren." He whispered and immediately paused, trying to remember something important, "though I was called something else once. Before..."He trailed off as the thought blew away like a feather on a wind, "You may call me Valo, though, Ranger."

The Ranger and his Elvin compatriots frowned, sharing a look. He knew why. He knew what his name meant. Valokiloren was the Morgul tongue for The Sleeping One. The Ranger gave him a soft polite tilt of the head.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Lord Elrond, Lord of the house of Rivendale and his heiress Lady Arwen. This is my companion, Prince Legolas of Mirkwood. You are in Rivendale, Valo."

His eyes widened and he cringed away from the elves fearfully. Lord Elrond approached slowly, trying to ease the child.

"Valo, can you tell us what you were doing with the servants of Mordor? Did they hurt you?" The man asked and Valo inched back over the side of the bed so the piece of furniture was between them.

Aragorn was visibly confused and did not bother to hide it. The Legolas elf looked suspicious and wary, as if expecting him to attack any moment. The whisper in his mind was urging him to use his black craft to attack. To escape and flee back towards his Master, though he did not know where he was. No doubt the Ring Wraiths would find him before long and would put him back to sleep. He could attack and escape. The problem was sitting on the bed though. Aragorn did not look on him as a potential enemy nor did the Lady. They were the first people to ever show him kindness. Valo didn't want to hurt them but he didn't want to be killed either. He wasn't even sure if he could die at this point. So what was he to do?

"They did not hurt me. The Witch-King keeps me sleeping until he has need of me. I've lived in Minas Morgul for a life age of Man though he has me Sleep for much of it." He said softly, backing up cautiously.

He didn't know what the other residence of Middle Earth would think of him, though he doubted it was anything good. His existence had been kept tightly under wraps, even he wasn't entirely sure what he was or his purpose in life. Judging by the arrow now pointed at his face and the looks of horror on the assembled faces, he was not going to be well received.


	2. The Fellowship Contention

A/N: Yay! Chapter Two! Woot! I heart this story so far and I hope all of you like it too! For those of you who are die hard LotR fans, I am obviously not writing this according to the book exactly. I regrettably haven't been able to read them yet due to midterms and college and such. I'm using the extended version of the movies as well as the book Sparknotes. Hope that clears up some confusion and frustration. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope. Nada. End.

~~~Chapter Two~~~ The Fellowship Contention

"Legolas!" Aragorn yelled, shooting up from his seat, enraged over the threat being posed to him.

Valo shrank away fearfully, unable to stop the scared tears from filling his eyes. He found himself wrapped in Lady Arwen's comforting embrace with Aragorn standing between them protectively. It warmed his heart to know that someone cared enough about him to fight for his safety.

"You will not touch him!" She yelled fiercely as Valo clung to her like a scared child, "He saved Frodo! There is good in him yet and I will not let you take that away!"

Aragorn implored his friend in elvish to lower his weapon. The final deciding factor in Legolas's warring eyes was when Lord Elrond finally put his hand on his arm, lowering it gently. The elf lord nodded his acquiescence. He leveled Valo with deep soulful eyes that seemed to bore into his very core.

"Very well, Aragorn, his care is entrusted to you and you alone will be responsible for his actions. I will trust your judgment on this matter." He declared.

Aragorn bowed his thanks and turned to see Valo curling up in his beloved's arms. Just a scared child. Like him, he was unable to control where he was from, but something in this stank to the Valor. What was a beautiful child like Valo doing being raised in Minas Morgul? What did he mean the Witch-King kept him asleep? So many questions were bundled in the small boy that Arwen was easing in her arms.

«««o»»»

"Another child joining the quest? Are the hobbits not going to slow us enough already?" Gimli, a rather gruff dwarf, practically harrumphed.

Aragorn turned to see the hobbits playing hide and seek with his new charge. He really was in no position to take a child under his wing but he couldn't just let Legolas shoot the poor thing for something he couldn't control. He turned to watch the five just in time to see the brightest smile light up Valo's face. The elf prince at his side frowned at the sight as if he were trying to decide what to make of it.

"Not only a child but a child born of Mordor. The child of the Witch King of Angmar." Legolas confessed tightly, his voice betraying his thoughts on the child for all to hear.

Gimli let out a sputter of indignancy and curses that drew Boromir's attention.

"This is not a good omen, sir Dwarf. Mark my words. He will put a curse upon us all." The man hissed.

Gandalf, watching the children with something like amusement and thoughtfulness, decided to speak his piece at last. He had been watching the five play for some time, sitting upon a stone bench beneath the shade of the trees in the garden.

"No, Boromir. I think in that we were fortunate. There is something about him yes, but I believe the sleeping curse placed on him protected him from the worst of the dark influence." The wizened wizard said, with a smile and a nod as the hobbits and Valo raced up, laughing.

Legolas stepped back as if he were burned by the child's very presence.

"Gandalf! Tell us about the Dragon! The one who you spoke to in the mountains!" Pippin begged, the five of them clamoring around eagerly to hear the tale.

"Oh, I don''t know..." He drew out in false reluctance, earning only a redoubled excitement from the playful children.

"Oh please! Please tell us the story!" Valo plead, his emerald eyes shining brighter for his excitement.

Gandalf smiled and ruffled the elf-like boy's hair affectionately. He truly believed Valo to be innocent. He could see the pureness in his soul despite the malicious thing making it's home there. A dark parasite...

"Very well. It was at least an age ago..."

«|»

The Nazgul shrieked in fury and pain as his Master let his displeasure known. Agony raced through them all, forcing them to the ground, writhing. None were tortured nearly as much as the Witch King, though. He'd lost him! He'd lost the Key! He'd lost the Master's consort! The Dark Lord's rage burned through him like acid. He would get him back. He must!

«|»

The group had come to rest on a small outcropping at the foothills of the Misty Mountains. The hobbits were play sparring with Boromir while Valo sat contentedly with Aragorn watching the man smoke his pipe. The child had become strangely attached to the Ranger in the month past, something that Legolas had taken note of grimly. He was...confused. By the dark child's whole existence. The one named Valokiloren was cheerful but timid and polite and courteous as any elf. He was just as content to sit and watch the clouds or a tendril of smoke than he was to play with the hobbits. All of this and he was a child of Mordor. A child of the Witch King himself. Aragorn had gone to "assist" Boromir from his assault by the Halflings, leaving the shy Valo sitting alone by the rock. Gandalf was looking out in the distance. Sitting all by himself off to the side, the teen looked small and his emerald eyes looked lonely staring at the playing group. Legolas watched this with a mixture of curiosity and a twinge of sympathy. Did the child feel alone away from the Nazgul? As odd as the thought was, perhaps it was so. After all, they were all that Valo had ever known. Did he perhaps not even feel as if he belonged there? Orcs and Nazgul...none that looked like him. None that were like him. Then where did he come from? Did Valo himself even know? Surely the child had to have had a home at some point. Was his family missing him? Had they searched relentlessly for their missing child before settling into despair? Were they searching even now? The elf found himself taking up Aragorn's abandoned spot at the child's side, hardly even thinking about his action. He wanted to understand this strange thing better. Emerald eyes looked at him soulfully, filled with calm serenity but a deep longing that he couldn't dare to try and discern.

"Are you going to shoot me after all, Master Elf?" Valo asked calmly, a small tragic smile on his lips.

Legolas frowned lightly. Such a look on one so young. It was a look that should not be seen on any youngling's face.

"No, Valokiloren. I will not act unless you give me good reason. I only wish to understand you."

The child's smile turned less embittered. He couldn't deny that Valo did indeed have an elf-like beauty to him not seen in Men. Was he perhaps not a Man at all but something more?

"Understand away." Legolas gave a small grin of his own. What a strange child he was, "what is it you wish to know of me?"

The Prince of Mirkwood finally gave voice to the questions that had been bubbling on his tongue for the last few weeks since their party had left Rivendale. They had only grown as they traveled across the south to the foothills.

"How many summers have you seen? What are your hobbies? How did you get to live at Minas Morgul? What was it like there?" Legolas noted that both Aragorn and Gandalf were listening intently though with the old Istari it was always difficult to say.

"Well, that's a bit of a long story. I don't really remember much about when I first came to be in Minas Morgul. All I remember was that we came from somewhere else, somewhere far away, and that Sauron brought me here. Back then he was called Tom Riddle. There was pain and then the dark. That's when I stopped aging. I've been in Mordor since Sauron's first reign. It wasn't too terrible, I suppose though my Master always made sure that I knew my place." Valo looked off into the distance, his brow tight with remembered hurts.

Legolas winced at the words and even more so at the child's expression. He could only imagine what horrors this child had witnessed in Mordor to put the look between his usually calm eyes.

"And where was that?"

Valo didn't look at him. He seemed unable to bring himself to look at anyone.

"At his side. I belong to him." This was said with such unfeeling that it surprised him, as if it were fact undisputed.

Legolas jerked in his seat, his silver eyes smoldering in anger. Valo felt his chin pulled back to his companion harshly only to meet those burning eyes.

"You belong to no one but yourself. Tell me more." His about face in attitude surprised and confused the teen but Valo humored the elf nonetheless.

It was nice to have someone actually listen to him. It made him feel as if someone actually cared enough to listen. He cracked a half a smile for Legolas''s peace of mind. He had to admit that the elf prince was certainly lovely company to have. He had a beauty that was saved from looking feminine only by the angle of his jaw and the lithe muscled build of his shoulders. One could tell that he had been a warrior prince for some time.

"When Isilidur defeated the Dark Lord, his spirit went into hiding and I was given over to the care of the Witch King. He kept me under a spell that my Master cast as a fail safe. It allows him to put me into a deep sleep until he chooses to wake me. He always kept me with him though I don't know why. It seems that it would be far simpler to leave me sleeping at the Morgul Vale or at Barad-dûr." Valo explained with a shrug.

Gandalf released a long stream of smoke from his pipe where he sat on a boulder nearby. Aragorn seemed to have lost that playful spark he had gained playing with the hobbits. The Mirkwood prince nodded, his lips pursed into a thin line. He seemed to be considering this new information. Indeed, all three seemed to puzzling over his newly revealed past like puzzle pieces scattered over a table top but still searching for the crucial bits that would allow the picture to come into clarity.

"Thank you for telling me." He said calmly before giving the teen a nod and standing.

Valo watched Legolas walk over to the rock crop edge and stare off into the distance. He did indeed seem to be pondering over the background brought to light. His abrupt departure left Valo feeling somewhat disappointed though he was relieved that the Mirkwood prince was more accepting of his presence now. It was a step up from the arrow in the face they had started out with. He aimed to work harder to be friendly to Legolas. He really didn't want any ill will between any of the Fellowship and himself. He really wanted to somehow make the elf like him. Valo wasn't sure why it was so important to him. Was he so desperate for company that he needed everyone to like him? The thought gestated in his mind for some moments. It was only the span of a few heartbeats before Valo had realized that the elf his attentions were focused on was not staring into the distance in thought as he had imagined but had actually caught sight of something on the horizon. Some dark, undulating shape was coming through the sky in their direction and his enhanced eyes were straining to discover if the shape was a threat or not. Merry and Pippin were still shrieking with laughter from play though the rest of the Fellowship had caught on to the thing's existence. Something about the way the mass moved instilled a deep nervousness in Valo's stomach. Something wasn't right.


	3. Reaching Out

A/N: Alrightie guys, numero three. You're starting to sees a little more of Valo's background as the story progresses. Any random, out there guesses about how he got to the point he is today? Curious, isn't it? Lol. Anywho, enjoy! Have fun! For you writers out there and all of you amazing guys that keep up with my work religiously, Many Muses and Speedy Updates!

Disclaimer: Fahget 'bout it!

~~~Chapter Three~~~ Reaching Out

"What is that?" Sam question lightly, bringing the two carefree hobbit's attention to the situation at hand.

They ignored Gimli's gruff response. The small teen stood to his feet, shuffling from foot to foot. A sudden feeling of dread was creeping upon him, a wash of energy down his spine like ants beneath his skin. What was this feeling? It seemed to tug him in every direction, leaving him confused and disorientated.

"It's moving fast. And against the wind." Boromir's voice was filled with worried tension.

He seemed a mirror to how Valo felt at that moment. It was all Legolas needed before he announced the shape's true nature harshly, jumping into action.

"Crebain from Dunland!"

The Fellowship all scattered to put out the fire and jerk everything into a hiding place. Valo was unsure what to do. His mind was a mish mash of anxiety and confusion. Where was he supposed to go? The Crebain were flying ever nearer quickly. Within seconds they would be upon him. Surely they would carry him off or claw him to pieces? Before they flew overhead, taking him to his certain doom, a harsh arm encircled his waist and tugged him behind a large boulder. The chattering Crebain flew overhead, circling once before flying back into the direction from whence they came. He looked up to find himself pressed protectively against Gandalf, hidden beneath the man's light grey traveling cloak. Valo inhaled the comforting scent of sandalwood, tobacco musk and another smell that ruffled the teen's being and sent his mind reeling once more. Everyone stepped out of their hiding place, turning to look at the wizened Istari. Gandalf eased him down onto his own feet before answering their questioning looks.

"Spies of Saruman. We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

Everyone began to pack their belonging's quickly. The reminder of their nemesis seemed to throw the group into a nervous frenzy. Everyone was eager to leave the Foothills in case the Crebain returned, perhaps with more dangerous foes to face.

~o~

Valo dreamed.

Harsh hands running over his excited flesh. Teasing but searching as well. Reassuring himself that no one had touched what was his. Valo arched up into skilled hands, pleading though he wasn't sure what he was pleading for. A cruel chuckle sounded from above him and the presence hovering over his body blew a cool line over his raised flesh. 

"Patienccccce, my little one. Tell me where you are. Let me give you what you desire…" Came the grating voice in the Black Speech.

He released a low whimper, wishing he could see anything through the darkness surrounding him. All was black except for the sparks behind his eyelids every time those cool hands ran over his exposed skin. He couldn't tell his location. They would find him…and the others would die. Aragorn. Gandalf. Frodo. Even the gruff Gimli and standoffish Legolas. They would all die. He felt tears escape his eyes.

"Tell me, my Prince. There will be no punishment for you if you only give in. I am a forgiving Master…"

Master. Master. His Master. Valo's eyes slammed open and the dream began to crumble around him. The last he felt was a piercing pain through his forehead.

He sat up with a gasp and a cry, alerting the on duty Aragorn and Gandalf to his waking. The Ranger hurried over to him, noting his tears and trembling form. Gandalf watched with his pipe between his teeth, his gaze sad but intensely observing the child sobbing into Aragorn's shoulder. The cold wind whistled passed the cave they had taken up residence in for the night.

"Valo? Tell me what's wrong. You're safe." The Ranger whispered to his shaking ward.

Valo shook his head and tried to reign in his tears bravely, clutching a hand to his burning forehead. Aragorn moved his hand, taking in the lightning bolt shaped scar there. A heavy frown had settled between Gandalf's grey brows.

"It was just a dream. Just a dream…"

He would not sleep again that night.

~o~

The Walls of Moria towered above them all. Valo couldn't help but feel even more dwarfed than he had before. It was a physical commentary on how his life seemed to be going now. The nightmares had progressed in his every sleeping hour, leaving him exhausted and withdrawn. Legolas was no longer outwardly unfriendly but more wary than anything. Despite this, he was starting to feel as if he had a place in this Fellowship. Sure, he had only been brought because they feared leaving him in Rivendale would be their doom but he had a place finally. A small one, but a place. He no longer felt like a burden only to be tolerated. For some reason, the Mirkwood Prince's timid acceptance had been a turning point for his approval in their traveling party. He tended to stay closer to the Istari and Aragorn though. They didn't seem to find any of his odd ways unusual, like when Gimli had stumbled upon him staring up at the night, searching for the dog constellation that didn't exist in any Middle Earth sky. Or when Merry had found him glaring at a picture in Rivendale because he could have sworn it was gossiping about him with the other portraits. Aragorn brushed these things off and Gandalf found his embarrassment more amusing than strange. He was thankful that he had the two of them.

The itching feeling of anxiety that he had felt when the Crebain passed by that first time had not returned until they heard Saruman's voice on Caradhras. It had been stronger then but had not plagued him since. It had been steadily increasing once more though since they had approached the walls. Should he mention it to Aragorn? Valo was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with him. Was he ill? As the surroundings began to spin every so often, he was really beginning to wonder. It was probably just because he was a little tired. He had avoided sleep for some time now, fearful of letting his newfound friends down by revealing their location. It was silly to fear a dream but somehow, he knew they weren't just regular dreams. His Master was searching for him just as he searched for the One Ring.

Was it possible that Sauron didn't yet realize that their locations were one in same? Legolas and Gimli had proceeded with their bitter bickering as they approached the doors to Moria. The walls above towered above him just as the rest of his life was doing. His Master was searching for him. He knew that he should obey and return to his side where he belonged but…He spared a glance at the Fellowship members that had come to rest at the door. He would miss them all. This was the first time he had been allowed outside the gates of Mordor while he wasn't asleep or under his Master's "influence" and he never remembered much about those times. In his heart, he was grateful of that fact. There was no doubt in his mind of the sort of things that his Master did when he was inhabiting Valo's body. He lay down on the pebbles at the shore side, resting his spinning head and tired feet. As if by habit, he looked up at the sky but found only tall mountainsides and a cloudy night. He found no answers to the questions filling his mind. The moon was looking especially beautiful tonight.

"You don't sleep enough. You're not taking care of yourself for this kind of journey." Came a light, musical voice from his side.

Valo opened his eyes to find Legolas crouched down beside him. He took in the elf's silver eyes and blonde hair. For just a moment there seemed to be another name on his tongue, someone he was reminded of when he glanced at those pale features. Just as soon as the feeling came though, the thought dispersed and he was left frowning. Unusual.

"I know, you think that I shouldn't have accompanied you. That I should go back home." The words came out more bitter than he intended them to sound.

To his surprise though, Legolas's lips quirked upwards at the corners. Valo was struck by the sight. He hadn't realized it until now but the elf was far more suited to smiling than the serious frowns he had harbored on their journey. When he was smiling, his whole being glowed as if he were doused with moonlight himself. It was…lovely.

"That was far from what I meant. I only meant that you should be more aware of your body's needs. You can't defend yourself or be any good to any one else if you're too exhausted to function properly."

Valo pursed his lips lightly and shrugged softly. What could he say? He couldn't sleep or the Dark Lord Sauron would seduce their location out of him and kill them all? Not bloody likely. He inwardly rolled his eyes at his odd choice in wording. He was too strange even for himself sometimes.

"I have…strange dreams." He admitted grudgingly, tugging his cloak around him for warmth from the cool breeze that seemed determined to blow right through him.

Legolas settled down at his side, watching his every expression studiously as if Valo were some sort of intriguing thing for him suddenly. It caused a heavy blush to rush up the teen's neck. He hated being started at. It made him feel like a freak. Especially when he was being stared down by lovely creatures like a certain elf prince. Legolas only found humor in his discomfort if his chuckle was anything to go by.

"Have you discussed your dreams with Gandalf or Estel? I know they think of you fondly and Gandalf is especially wise in such things. What are your dreams about?"

He asked as if it were such a simple thing! As if Valo could just come out and say it! The embarassment of such a revelation was too much for him to even want to comprehend. No doubt Gimli would tear him a new one with teasing so much. His blush became furious and he nearly died of humiliation when Legolas's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Oh." He said simply, a smirk tugging at his mouth.

Valo fumed at him for enjoying his embarrassment.

"Don't you dare laugh! It's not funny!" He hissed, covering his face in his hands.

It had never occurred to the elf that Valo may very well be the youngest of their company, despite having lived for several Ages, he supposed. He didn't even think that they had a pubescent hormonal teenager in their midst. Legolas tried valiantly to cover his amusement to no avail. It only earned him another glare and a fierce pout.

"I hate you." Valo said with no meaning at all.

His companion only gave a small laugh and stood. Gandalf had just given an exclamation of triumph as the heavy, ancient stone door swung open with a loud grating noise. Valo was glad that they were finally able to move forward and he had an excuse to extricate himself from the now awkward conversation at hand. He allowed himself to be directed towards the door like a child and was still standing in the door way when he stopped suddenly. The sudden opening of the door had brought a gust of stale air with it and with that gust, the stench of decay and something sinister. There was the scent of something on the air in Moria that made his hands tremble and his toes curl. What was that sensation? It felt as if someone had poured liquid fire into his bloodstream though it wasn't at all unpleasant. His every cell begged to run towards whatever it was that caused it and submit. It felt like...like how his Master felt though not as addicting. Not as undeniable and oppressive. What was happening to him?


	4. Sound In The Deep

A/N: So how is everyone liking the story so far? Acceptable? Kinda funny that as I put these first couple of chapters together, Pirates Of The Caribbean is on the screen, not Lord of the Rings. I know, I know. Lol. So I hope everyone is enjoying it and more will be revealed about Valo soon enough! This chapter: Moria!

Disclaimer: Back off. I own nothing.

~~~Chapter Four~~~ Sound In The Deep

He slumped against a pillar nearby, trying desperately to regain some of his senses. The ground was littered with the desiccated remains of dwarves and yet he could only focus on that alluring scent. His mind was so scattered that he barely realized the danger until poor Frodo was sliding across the ground screaming, a tentacle wrapped around his ankle. The Fellowship jumped into action immediately, every warrior ready to stand and defend. It was brave Sam who freed his friend only to have the one tentacle replaced by many more. Valo was rooted in fear. What was happening? There was an energy building in his belly as he tried to find a way to help. They had forbidden him a weapon like the others but was there another way? He racked his brain for answers. He had spent over three thousand years in Mordor and he couldn't come up with a single thing to protect his friends? There was a word at the tip of his tongue in a language he didn't understand though he surely did in another time. His eyes flashed with anger at the disgusting thing in the water. How dare it try to hurt his friends! Without even thinking about it or understanding what was happening, Valo stretched out his hand and said the word that seemed to beg to be spoken.

"Reducto!" A red burst of light spilled forth from his hand like a missile taking some of that stifling, itching energy with it.

It slammed into the squid-creature with an audible ''bang''! The thing's shrieks of pain were enough to make him want to clamp his hands over his ears.

"Into the mines!" Gandalf ordered, ushering everyone back into the tomb as the thing geared up for another round, pulling itself from the water in it's fury to try and get to them.

The doors were opened still and it's tentacles reaching. Panting, Valo did the only thing he could think of. He reached towards the ceiling above the creature and said that strange word again. The Reducto careened into the stone, shattering it. He had to duck as shards of stone burst out in every direction. The ceiling above the entrance collapsed, completely sealing off the way out. Silence fell upon the Fellowship as they no doubt all stared at him in disbelief. He hated being stared at! He bit his lip, not daring to look and see what his comrades thought. Probably not his best thought out plan. He mustered the courage to glance over at Gandalf only to find the man giving him a strange look, like he were trying to piece together the strange puzzle Valo had become and whether or not that puzzle would kill him in his sleep. Aragorn was staring between the two of them as if he had just made a connection that he hadn't seen before. Valo just wished someone would share the big secret with him.

"We now have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria."

Why did he feel as if he should apologize for that? He received no answer.

The dark of Moria did not phase me. Dark I did not fear. It was the oppressive silence and the whispers that put me on my guard. The deeper into the mines we traveled, the more that feeling from before crept along my senses. The more that the dark whispered to me, almost stroking along my skin as we passed crumbling stairs and once great halls of kings. The others had not made mention of the feat I had performed at the doors and for that I was grateful. What answers could I give them if I had no answers myself? We were resting at a crossroads while Gandalf tried to remember which way we were to go. I gave the old Istari a smile. Even when he had us lost in the depths of an orc filled mine, he always managed to bring us hope. I had claimed a small hollow in the wall for my resting place. It was away from the others and probably not the brightest idea but I wasn't sure if I could handle their questions and nervous glances. With the battle at the doors adrenaline had chased away my fatigue but now it was returning in full swing causing the room to swing with it.

"You should rest, little one. I will watch over you." Aragorn's voice came from the darkness.

I turned my head to find the Ranger climbing up to my little nook. I had to admit that I admired Aragorn. If it weren't for him and Lady Arwen, I would have been killed in Rivendale. I owed him my allegiance and he would have it for as long as I was able to give it. The threat of my Master hung over my head like a shadow.

"Why do you fear to sleep, Valo? What troubles you so?"

My lip trembled slightly. If I told him about my dreams, then he may send me away for fear that I would give up their location. I did not want to leave his side. It was selfish of me but true.

"I have nightmares..." Was all I could say.

Aragorn did not ask me to explain them as Legolas had. He did not expect an answer that I did not possess. He did not laugh at me as others would nor did he chide me for being childish. He gave me a soft smile and sat down, settling at my side. He pulled me in against him and allowed me to use him as a sort of living pillow. He was warm and the steady beat of his heart was enough to begin to comfort my frayed senses. Then his voice broke through the haze my mind had found itself in, melodic and beautiful. He was singing to me. A lullaby about an elvish woman and her human love. Words couldn't express how grateful I felt. How could a kind, strong man like him ever come to care for a twisted, dark, weak thing like me? I couldn't imagine why but like the greedy thing I was, I allowed myself to bask in the warmth that he made me feel. Within moments, I was drifting off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

We were walking down the long dark hall of the Dwarrowdelf, sidestepping dwarf bodies though they were less in this large place, more scattered. Pippin and Merry were at my side, occasionally releasing a gasp at some great discovery they made concerning a pillar or marking on the wall. It was amusing to say the least. They were so full of childish wonder that I was slightly envious. I wished I could have that again. I must have had it at one point, right? The black gaping space in my mind where my memories of my childhood should be was a vast empty thing. It taunted me. Was I created already older so I didn't have a childhood? Why was I created at all? What was the purpose for my Master making me? Surely if he had just needed a Consort, there were easier ways to secure one. I bit my lip, sparing glance up at Aragorn. Would he hate me if he ever found out that I was Sauron's Consort? Probably. I tugged my cloak around me tighter, unable to shield from the sudden chill that grew in my heart. The silence seemed to wear on the rambunctious hobbits within the hour. Sam turned to me with a timid glance.

"Mister Valo, what was that glowing thing you did with that squid monster, if you don't mind me asking?" The gardener asked shyly as if he were afraid the question would offend.

I turned to staring at the ground, suddenly aware of everyone's attention focused solely on me. It was a disconcerting feeling to say the least. I hated being the center of attention. I always had.

"Well, I don't really know...it just kind of happened. The word just wanted to be said, I guess." I gave a sheepish smile at them all even though the only two that didn't look at me like I had just spouted vulgarities were Aragorn and Gandalf.

My two defenders.

Gimli suddenly released a sharp cry of despair. There was an open room ahead with a soft glow emitting in the darkness. The dwarf ran towards the room as quickly as his short legs could carry him. The room was littered with bodies as the rest of the mines had been but the large square room that we found ourselves rushing after our friend into was illuminated by a shaft of light from a window cut into the mountainside. In the center of the room was a stone tomb illuminated by the sliver of light. Gimli collapsed to his knees before it, crying out for his loss and pulling his hood over his head in a sign of mourning. Gandalf's wizened face looked grim and sorrowful.

"Here lies Balin, son of Fudin, Lord of Moria. He is dead then. It is as I feared." The wizard whispered.

I watched Gimli and couldn't help but be overrun by sadness coiling in my chest. The poor dwarf. To loose someone you love so dearly…I had a flash of overwhelming despair and a vision of smiling grey eyes before the image dispersed. I shook it off quickly. This was no time for those things right now. I padded softly over to the kneeling dwarf anxiously. I didn't know if my presence would be accepted by the mourning man but there was no hurt in trying. I set a timid hand on Gimli's shoulder in comfort, crouching down beside him.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered in quiet condolences, my emerald eyes full of empathy for his loss.

Gimli looked up at me with a beard soaked in tears. His muddy brown eyes said it all. He didn't know why I was risky his rejection to comfort him but he was grateful. Gandalf had picked up a book though I hadn't caught what he had read from the passage. There was a squeak of fear from the corner before the deafening crashing sound of something heavy and metal falling into an open well resounded through Moria. We all turned as a whole to a shell-shocked Pippin standing in the corner by said well. Gandalf's eyes reflected his anger at the hobbit's carelessness.

"Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" He chided harshly.

Sam gave the hobbit a chastising look. We were about to proceed out of the room when there was a deep, sharp sound from the depths. Then another. A rolling boom like from the belly of a beast echoed faster and faster as it continued. Drums…Legolas turned around furiously.

"Orcs!"

I felt a sudden wash of cold dread wash over me. Sam pushed Frodo behind him protectively, all drawing their swords in a rush. Sting glowed blue in the dim cavern. The two Men hurried to bar the door. Boromir turned back to them with a wince and an exasperated voice.

"They have a cave troll!"

Before I knew what was happening, I was tugged backwards and found myself staring at the back of one elf prince, his slender form standing in front of me protectively, bow drawn.


	5. Into the Darkness

A/N: Alright! So here's how this story is going to work. I'm going to post it broken up according to the movies. When Fellowship ends, the first volume of Sleeper will end, etc. and so forth. That way it'll make it easier to keep up with so those who aren't quite LotR timeline savvy. Hope all of you are enjoying it so far!

Disclaimer: I claim nothing.

~~~Chapter Five~~~ Into The Darkness

Valo stared in awe at the protective stance Legolas had taken before him. The sight of his fierce eyes glaring towards the door made something warm and tight stop his breath. Arrows pierced the rotted wood of the door like missiles. Gimli had jumped onto Lord Balin's tomb furiously, wielding two aging battle axes gathered from his fallen comrades. His face was set into a fierce scowl that Valo would surely quake to have directed at himself. Aragorn put out a hand for them, a signal to step away from the door. Sam stood in front of his friend in defense, bearing only a short sword and a sauce pan. The ground seemed to quake with the steps of their foe's approach. His heart filled with fear at their approach. He was unarmed! Defenseless! The doors shattered inward with a BOOM that had splinters of wood raining down on their company and goblins spilling through the doors. The cave troll came through the opening, club swinging. Merry and Pippin had taken up shelter behind Legolas with him, ready with their own short swords and kitchen utensils should the need arise. Aragorn was hacking into orcs left and right, being spared an unpretty demise at the end of the troll's club by Boromir's quick swordsmanship.

Valo looked around frantically. Where was Frodo? He caught sight of the Halfling backed into a corner, trapped by the snarling troll's vicious maw. His body kicked into gear before his brain did and the teen found himself sprinting across the room, dodging sword strokes and arrows. He had to make it! He had to save him! He watched as if slow motion as the sickening creature reared it's spear back to strike. Valo was seconds away! The spear was lunged forward and his soul broke as Frodo released a horrible, pain filled cry into the air. The troll had a pleased snarl on it's misshapen face. He stared down at the scene, the vision too terrible for his mind to wrap around. He expected himself to start to cry, to do something inanely stupid and probably kill himself in the process…but it didn't come. A cool numb calm swept over him for a split second. His mind quieted, time seeming to slow around him. The moment of calm did not last though as his eyes alighted on the dying hobbit at his feet. A burning, all consuming rage took hold of him and it was as if time slammed back to reality all at once.

His eyes burned as his rage gave him new energy and strength. It coursed through his blood like a searing poison, only adding fuel to the fire that had grown inside him. Valo hissed ferally, feeling a sickened pleasure as the troll halted in it's tracks, backing away in fear. It tried to bow in submission but the damage was done. Valo had the vague thought that his eyes were on fire for some reason before he extended his hand towards the disgusting hulking thing. There was another word on his mouth, a word that felt like knives, dark and promising. There was no hesitation. He spoke it, forcing the very word itself into the troll's body.

"Avada Kedavra!" He yelled, fury taking over him completely.

A sickly green light burst from his hand leaving a tingling sensation in it's wake. The beam slammed into the troll and without another breath, the thing fell down dead immediately. He had thought naively that it would be over once he killed the troll. How wrong he was. The rage remained, bubbling up through his small body like a geyser trying to force it's way through a cap. His body was the cap though and any moment he was going to give way. The sharp sting of fear allowed him to regain his slight control, giving him thought enough to focus it. No need to cook his friends. He rolled all of that burning energy in his body into a ball, forcing it out into his fingertips. The goblins never knew what had hit them. A wreath of flame erupted from his body without warning, striking every orc in the room though passing harmlessly through his allies.

Gandalf jerked around to stare at him after the last goblin fell, followed by the rest of the Fellowship. All were staring at him in terror. Valo, fell against the wall, exhausted by the emptiness now filling him where that energy had once been. He felt surely that he had blacked out for a moment for he was brought to by Gandalf's wrinkled hands jerking him back up to standing, bringing him face to face with the old Istari.

"What did you do, Valo? What did you Call?" He asked desperately, shaking the child slightly.

Valo knew that they probably thought him a monster for his eyes were still the orange flaming orbs of the Dark Lord. They slowly began to fade as he calmed himself. He was a monster…His eyes only seemed to focus on Legolas at first. The elf was staring at him as if he had just seen Sauron himself. He probably thought he had. The hobbits were all understandably terrified and Boromir looked as if he would like nothing more than to decapitated him just like he had done to the orcs now scattering the floor. He forced himself to focus on Gandalf's fearful blue eyes. Call? There was a soft cough to the side, and everyone turned to the thought dead hobbit lying on the ground.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam cried, rushing over to his friend like nothing from here to Valinor could deter him.

The company gathered around the Ring Bearer that was even now sitting up as if he never been in battle at all. Intriguing creatures, hobbits. Valo stayed curled against the wall, finally allowing himself to slide down to sit on the floor. He was trying to gather his scattered thoughts while the inner voice that stayed with him always cackled gleefully at his plight. He would be lucky if they didn't just leave him in this chamber to die. Valo's lip trembled slightly. He refused to cry! Would they kill him now? Was he unnatural in their eyes?

Freak.

A dry sob caught in his throat just as he heard soft footsteps approach. Valo looked up, fearing the killing stroke or the disgusted gaze of one of the company. Instead, he found Frodo smiling down at him as if he hadn't just shot flames out of his body on accident. The Halfling leaned down to help him up happily.

"You saved me, Valo. Even though you had no weapons, you ran after me anyways. Thank you." His soft voice said calmly.

He had done good? Frodo's smile said yes but the looks that the rest of the Fellowship gave him and the way they would not approach said another story entirely. They were about to discuss what to do next when the sound of the drums continued, the chatter of many goblins at once filling the usually silent caverns. Gandalf turned to them, jerking he and Frodo over quickly.

"To the bridge of Khazad-dum!"

They ran.

Goblins were scurrying down the pillars like insects swarming a carcass, continuing with their noises that passed for speech. Valo ran as fast as his legs could carry him, sometimes being helped forward by a tug from Aragorn. The Dwarrowdelf was completely filled with goblins. They were doomed. The goblins had them surrounded in minutes, encircling them all. They teased and squawked with sharp thrusts from the stray spear but did not approach. Their babble was not lost on many of the Fellowship, for all who knew the Black Speech could understand it. Their noise was deafening in the great hall.

"The Dark One! The Dark One returns!"

"Meat! Want to feast on Man-Flesh!"

Valo hissed at a spear that got too close to Frodo, sending the unlucky orc scurrying backwards. He was starting to despair when that delicious feeling he'd felt at the Door shot up his spine like an arrow. Pleasure coursed through his blood, a drug more tantalizing than any. His trembling nearly sent him to his knees with sensation overload. He craved the darkness that now filled the hall, coming ever closer. A grating sound echoed throughout the Dwarrowdelf and a fearsome roar sent the goblin masses scurrying back up the pillars and into the darkness in terror. Valo only wished he felt the same way. He'd give anything for that enticing allure to come closer. So like his Master…He hadn't realized that not only was his state of mind suffering from the separation but his body mourned the loss of that power as well.

"This foe is beyond any of you…Run!" Gandalf ordered.

Aragorn as if sensing Valo's tremulous state of mind, jerked him along by his wrist, not leaving any way for the teen to fall behind, no matter how much he wanted to. The path they ran was precarious and the Shadow following behind them roared in fury, enraged at it's prey having been taken from it. Valo was grateful for Aragorn's strong hand guiding him because with each roar, his eyes rolled into the back of his head as sparks of lightning danced through his nerves. The bridge of Khazad-dum was just ahead and they scurried over it. His mind was in that foggy state again where nothing was reality and all narrowed down to that pleasurable feeling overtaking his senses. Aragorn had released him in order to help the others across the broken stairway. The voice inside his mind crowed in delight. Valo stopped in the center of the bridge, standing between the Fellowship and the Balrog crawling through the doorway. In the back of his mind, he heard Aragorn call out to him but it was masked by the rightness of it all. He should go to the Balrog. It was where he belonged. In shadow…He stepped towards the thing, his eyes glazed and focusing only on the creature before him.

Whispers echoed in the chasm, Black Speech dancing across his brain. They begged him to go back. Go to the Balrog. Back to his Master. The Balrog before him purred in delight at his steady approach, it's wings spread wide as if to embrace him. He was meters away. Reaching out. Mere moments…A hard muscled arm jerked him backwards around his middle and a bright white light filled his vision. The brightness of it had Valo shrieking in pain as the desire in his blood turned, reflecting the enormous creature's rage. Gandalf stood between them, shouting to the thing. Aragorn was pulling him backwards, away from it to stand with the Fellowship on the other side of the bridge. Valo stilled, the overwhelming desire lessening the further away he got. His mind slowly began to clear. What was Gandalf doing? He wasn't strong enough to defeat such a demon! He would die!

"Gandalf!" He cried in terror and despair.

It filled him to his core as he recalled all that his Master had ever said about the demons of the Ancient World. Many Sauron had brought over himself from where ever he came from before and they had been settled in the dark places of the earth. Biding their time and growing stronger and more terrible as the Ages passed. The Balrog cracked it's whip, the threat heavy on the air. Valo watched on with horror filling his every being as his beloved friend faced off against a creature as ancient than any they had faced. No…There had to be something he could do! He couldn't just stand by and-! Frodo was crying out to his mentor though Gandalf did not seem to hear.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun!" The wizened Istari yelled over the roar of flame.

The Balrog drew itself up to full height releasing a deafening, furious snarl that shook the very cavern itself.

"You shall not pass!"

He felt his whole world crashing around him as one of the only people to ever accept him stood in the path of a monster in their defense. No, no, no! It wasn't supposed to happen this way! It wasn't! The bridge gave a loud crack before giving way beneath the enormous creature's feet. The Balrog locked it's flaming eyes with Valo's once more before plunging helplessly into the abyss. He felt his face fold into relief. Everything was going to be alright…Their relief was short lived, however. With a sickening snap, the Balrog's flame whip flung from the darkness and wrapped brutally around the wizard's ankle, tugging Gandalf over the edge of the broken bridge. Aragorn tensed around him, his grip around the teen's waist nearly crushing. The old wizard gave them one last desperate look.

"Fly you fools!" He hissed before letting go of the ledge.

Valo watched him fall as if in slow motion. Poor Frodo lunged in Boromir's arms, a sharp scream on his lips. Aragorn carried him out in a rush, Legolas taking the hobbits while Boromir fought with a writhing, crying Frodo. The world stilled for Valo. Nothing really felt real. As if it were all a dream, some false imagery and Gandalf would walk over the hill smiling like he always did. He had never…lost someone before, and yet the pain felt redoubled. Acute. It pierced his heart like a knife wound, twisting and mutilating as it tore through. It felt as if he should vomit blood or something foul to rid himself of this hurt but there was nothing that could be done. A hole had been torn in his life and nothing could cure the agony but time. The hobbits were sobbing together now that they had finally reached the outside.

He hadn't even felt Aragorn set him down or start to bark instructions to the others. Frodo was walking away. Valo felt for him especially. He had know Gandalf all his life…Boromir was suddenly towering above the silent teen with a fury fueled by grief. A cruel hit was brutally delivered to his face by a sword calloused hand, hard enough that he had doubt there would be a bruise there tomorrow. Valo looked up at the Man in shock. Despite the pain he knew that he should be feeling, nothing seemed to want to register. Everything was muted. Dull.

"You brought this upon us! You drew that thing to us and now Gandalf is dead because of your witchery!" Boromir yelled as numb tears fell from hollow emerald eyes.

Valo realized quickly that the warrior was right. Gandalf had come back for him along with Aragorn. They could have both been lost…It was all his fault. He had killed one of the first good things to ever come into his life. He was a monster…The senseless hurt in the Man's eyes was the only proof he needed. Boromir raised his hand back for a second hit but there was suddenly a hand there stopping him. Aragorn stepped into view, his eyes blazing with rage at his fellow. Legolas was suddenly at Valo's side, pulling him over to the side for safety and to assess for any wounds he may have received from the misplaced anger.

"Don't you EVER lay a hand on my charge again. He is only a child and knows not what is going on." They heard the Ranger hiss, partially in anger and partially in an attempt to calm his companion.

Legolas's eyes were brimming with anger, making his handsome face tight. Valo allowed him to run a tender hand over his face, his eyes still hollow and empty as he felt.

"Are you well, Valo? Did he hurt you much?" The elf asked in that calm voice that he always possessed no matter the situation.

The Morgul teen looked up at him and a wash of feeling suddenly erupted in his chest. He felt dirty and a devastating guilt filling him from his core. He felt responsible for the crushing sorrow that tore the Fellowship to pieces.

"It's all my fault…"


	6. A Mirror To The Past

A/N: Alright! So I'm definitely excite about this chapter! Thanks so much for all of you who have sent me amazing reviews so far! They really keep me going, guys! I was like WOW! I did not expect this story to be this popular but I suppose surprises always sneak up at the most unexpected of times!

Disclaimer: Try again. When I'm dead.

I amar prestar aen…The world is changed.

Han mathon ne nen… I feel it in the water.

Han mathon ne chae… I feel it in the Earth.

A han noston ned gwilith. I smell it in the air.

Much that once was is lost. For none now live who remember it.

~~~Chapter Six~~~A Mirror To The Past

Legolas stared at me deeply for a moment, taking in my heart broken, crushed state and the deadness I felt in every bone. Why did thing have to be this way? He gave me a small smile and did something that he had never done before since our first meeting. He brushed a strand of my loose dark hair behind my ear and took my tearful face in both hands. His silver eyes pierced my own and against my own control, my pulse sped and my heart began to hammer in my chest for a whole reason apart from the fear I'd felt in Moria.

"You are not to blame. Far from it, Valo. Gandalf went back to protect you." He said softly.

He smelled of green leaves in the depths of the rainy wood.

"If he hadn't gone back for me, he would still be here…" My voice sounded as hopeless as I felt.

I sounded defeated.

"Gandalf wanted to keep you safe. He went back because he saw something in you that no one else did. Something I was too blind to see at first. Take your time to mourn but to let it blind you to the journey around you would only disgrace his sacrifice."

He gave me another gentle smile before pulling me to my feet. Aragorn was at my side as we headed to Lothlorien though none of the other members of the Fellowship were eager to come anywhere near me. I was the official pariah, an outcast. Aragorn didn't give any hint that he minded at all. He had once been an outcast too.

`~o~`

The hillside of the Dimroll Dale was awash with the red rays of the dying sun. It brought a sharp reminder of the heavy loss they suffered. The woods of Lothlorien were just ahead, it's leaves reflecting the last light of day. Any other time, Valo would have taken the time to appreciate the wide array of colors but everywhere he looked there were reminders of Gandalf. Not even the beauty of the forest could dispel the ache in his heart. They passed beneath the trees in silence, none willing to break the unnatural quiet of the woods.

"Stay close! They say a great sorceress live in these woods. An elf-witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell." Gimli whispered to the hobbits in his harsh deep voice.

Valo sighed, wrapping his arms around himself. He was trying to find some relief from this aching sadness inside him. He'd never experienced these feelings before. He had spent the rest of the journey in silence though no one was quick to make conversation with him anyways. No doubt that they were all still thinking him the next Dark Lord or something ridiculous. That would never happen. After all, his Master was immortal.

Your coming to us is as the footsteps of doom. You bring great evil here, Dark One.

Valo jerked as the whisper flowed through his mind like water over steel. It was a female voice, one he did not recognize. A word came to mind that he couldn't seem to make sense of. Legilimancy? What was that? He shrugged it off as one of the strange things he didn't understand about himself. Who was in his mind? Was it the sorceress Gimli spoke of? The Lady of Light? He hurried to catch up to the rest of the group, hiding like some sort of scared child at Aragorn's side. He reached over to take hold of the Man's finger, for once taking notice of how different the two of them were. Araorgn's hands were large, tanned and hardened by life in the wilderness and years of swordsmanship. Valo's hands were small and soft, pale. Legolas gave him a strange look that Valo could not decipher but did not comment. Thank goodness. He note that Frodo was looking around with a frown as well. What had he heard? Had it been the same thing that had flown through Valo's mind as well?

He was suddenly staring at the wrong end of a very pointed arrow. Behind that arrow was an elf that did not look pleased to have met up with them. They were probably trespassing on their home land after all. Their company was surrounded. Each archer had on a shimmery grey cloak that whispered against the ground like a dream. An elf with cold grey eyes and the long blonde hair that Legolas shared stepped to the front, eyeing the Ranger down stoically. Valo's grip around Aragorn's pointer finger tightened ever so slightly but the strange elf general caught the motion like a hawk. His eyes widened in horror before his face collapsed into a look of unadulterated disgust. Valo felt his stomach turn to ice. What had he done to earn such a reaction from a total stranger? He had never even met an elf before Legolas, let alone had the opportunity to offend this one! He took and instinctual step back. His great protector though, took note of their short-lived, silent interaction though and stepped in front of him, shielding him from the hateful general's view. Valo couldn't think of a way that he could even begin to repay Aragorn for all of the things he had done for him. He would try and find some small way though. Maybe with all of the silence lately, he could use it to think of something nice to do for the Ranger.

"Come." The strange elf said sharply.

~o~

We were taken to a high place in the largest trees I had ever seen before. An Elf city called Caras Galadhon. From what I could see, it was every possible meaning of the words "breathtakingly beautiful". I wished I could always be in such a place. It took ones breath away just to look out at the outskirts of the city in which we had been lead. It was so different from where I had lived ever since I could remember. The view from my room in Minas Morgul was dark and secluded, nothing like this. It looked out over the poisonous waters of the Morgulduin and the Stairs of Cirith Ungol. The only break in the black scenery were the horrible statues lining the road and the white flowers along the banks of the river, giving off their sickening scent. The Mountains of Shadow surrounded the stronghold on all sides. What was Mordor compared to this magnificence displayed all around me? It was like a dream. A dream I never wanted to wake from.

"Welcome Legolas son of Thranduil," The elf said in a more friendly tone though it was still stoic and calm.

It was an odd mirror to the Mirkwood Prince's own actions though there were distinct differences. Legolas had this nervous habit that I had noticed over the last few months. When he was deep in thought he would finger the end of his bow and this small frown would crease between his pale eyebrows. When he was frustrated, the stubborn elf would pace like a great caged feline. These were all things I had started to notice about Legolas that, as silly as it sounded, made me think better of him, despite his careful avoidance of me. It made him more real, more human in my mind. Legolas gave the general a small smile and a nod of acknowledgement.

"And Aragorn of the Dunedain, you are known to us."

Aragorn gave the same polite smile and small head bow that Legolas had.

"Haldir." The Ranger greeted.

So the elf's name was Haldir. Good to know finally. As if my thought summoned his attentions, Haldir swiveled his suddenly frigid gaze to me and an expression of foul loathing settled onto his face. I couldn't help but shrink inside myself at his gaze. I had never had someone immediately hate me on sight. Even Legolas didn't try to shoot me until I had told them that I lived with the Witch King. If they knew that I was the Dark Consort…Did Haldir know or suspect? Is that why he was disgusted with me? Legolas put a gentle hand on my shoulder in an uncharacteristic show of support. I looked up at him with widening eyes. He had stood up for me…to his own kind? Why? Haldir's eyes turned back to Aragorn with a hardened look in the grey depths.

"You bring great evil here, Ranger. You claim to be traveling to destroy Isilidur's Bain and yet you travel with the Dark One's own. You bring him among us. To be in his presence is to be in the presence of the Dark Lord himself." Aragorn looked taken aback and seemed as if he would say something but Haldir did not give him the choice, "You may go no further with that thing in your midst."

My heart felt as if it were breaking. I would have to leave this otherworldly beauty, all because I was…what? What did he mean by 'to be in his presence is to be in the presence of the Dark Lord himself'? Why they all…hate me? There were so many things that I didn't understand. I just wanted to belong somewhere, that's all. I didn't want the world, I didn't care for riches or power. I just wanted a home. I was starting to think that the only place that came even relatively close was back in Mordor. Back with my Master. Was it selfish of me to want more?

Aragorn took Haldir off to the side and I could hear them arguing heatedly. I was too busy staring at the ground though. I didn't want to look up and see the looks on the Fellowship's faces. Did they secretly agree with him? Legolas's hand left my shoulder at last and I though he would pull away like he had after the incident in Moria. I did not expect a soft hand to tilt my chin up. I was suddenly staring into his soothing silver eyes.

"Let no one put you down without your consent, Valo. You are different but no different than anyone else in this world. Show them that you do not fear them. Smile for them no matter how they treat you or hurt you. Show them that their words wash right off you like rain on a flower petal and that you are the better for it." He whispered in my ear lightly.

I hadn't realized that their were tears in my eyes until he reached over and brushed them away with a tenderness that I was unaccustomed to. A soft blush crept up my cheeks and I watched him walk back to his place at the front of our party in Estel's absence. I couldn't believe it. Was this a…a crush? By the Valor, help me. Haldir and Aragorn return momentarily, the argument dissolving. The elvin general looked none too please and he leveled me with a look that belied every ill feeling he had for me.

"You will follow me." He said, his voice calm and not betraying every reflection her had on me that was to obviously shown in his eyes.


	7. The Key

A/N: Alrightie, so it's time for Valo to learn abit about himself and what his future holds in store for him. Thanks so much for all of your amazing reviews and support! I've been kind of pondering over this story for about a year now in my head and I finally started writing on it on Sunday. Sorry for the wait. My laptop has conracted a rather nasty virus and it's in the process of being fixed, so the updates are going to be coming, just not on teh every other day trend I've ben keeping. Don't forget to R&R by R&Ring! XD

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~~Chapter Seven~~~ The Key

Haldir led them to what looked to be a cross between a meeting chamber and a throne room though his stance and gait was tense and unhappy. Two people stood at the front, both filled with the beauty only the Elves could possess. It was the second one that made Valo never want to leave Caras Galadhon, only to stare at her shining magnificence forever. Her hair was long and the color of the most wealthy of all spun gold. Her eyes were the blue of the brightest robin's eggs, a pure overwhelming sapphire that held the wisdom of Ages. Why did Elves have to be so beautiful? He spared a sidelong glance at Legolas and felt another blush creep up his cheeks. Legolas was beautiful too. Lord Celeborn stepped down from the raised dais, a frown on his lovely face.

"Nine there are yet ten there were set out from Rivendale. Tell me, where is Gandalf for I much desire to speak with him." The Elf-Lord said tightly.

Frodo looked to Valo with grief in his eyes and the teen gave him a small nod. He didn't want to hear the whole gruesome story replayed again either. It just redoubled the hurt. The Lady Galadriel looked up slowly, her gaze landing on their company.

"He has fallen into shadow…" She whispered as if in disbelief. She looked to Aragorn first, her eyes slowly trailing over to each of them individually, "The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the company is true."

Her sapphire eyes came to land on Valo and she paused. Her voice threaded through his mind and he came to a startling realization that made him jerked slightly. It was the Lady herself who had spoken to him the in wood not an hour ago. Why?

Welcome, Valokiloren…The Key to the doom of all.

Valo's emerald eyes were wide and fearful. Did she know about his past when even he himself didn't remember? What did she mean by "The Key to the doom of all?" He wasn't plotting anyone's doom! What was happening around him? Everything had been so much simpler when all he had to deal with every day was when he would wake up and pleasing his Master.

~o~

The Fellowship all sat around beneath a pavilion on the lawn of Caras Galadhon. The stars were bright in the dark night sky above and the trees the city sat among were luminescent. The sounds of the elves of Lorien's lament were heartbreaking and ethereal. Legolas was carrying over a pitcher of water to the hobbits and I couldn't help but watch him from my place curled beneath a raised root of the enormous tree. He was so…Legolas caught me watching and a small smile graced his lips. A smile all for me. My heart swelled despite my embarrassed blush. He left the pitcher with Sam and tread lightly over to my little hiding spot. The elf crouched down next to me, his eyes sparkling with amusement and yet somehow bubbling with despair and concern.

"What are you doing over here, Valo?"

I shrugged with a sigh, trying to force my blush away. No need for him to realize that he could make me blush in ways that would embarrass most people. That would be the epitome of mortification.

"Well, I just didn't want anyone to be…erm, upset by my presence. The rest of them aren't exactly happy with me right now. So I thought I would just, I dunno, find me a spot over here so no one had to look at me." I couldn't look at him while I explained.

Would he not want to see me either? That would just be awful! My heart clenched tightly in my chest and my throat closed up. He was looking down at me with his elegant eyebrows raised and an expression full of surprise.

"That is very…thoughtful of you. But you'll never be able to rest alone. Come over to where my pallet is. It's away from our companions and you won't feel so alone. How does that sound?" His voice sounded as if he was talking to a small child who'd had a nightmare.

I didn't like that he was speaking to me like an infant but my excitement over getting to sleep next to my crush overturned it. That small voice in my head was screaming at me that I was being disgraceful and whorish against my Master. Was I? We weren't going to DO anything. Legolas would probably rather eat off his own arm before even considering doing such a thing, so it was okay. Right? I had no answers for myself. He reached down into my little nook and gave me a hand out. Legolas led the way over to his pillows, my face turning beet red with every step I took. The elves singing caught my ear again and I was once more entranced by the sound.

"What are they singing?"

"A lament to Gandalf…"

"What do they say about him?" I asked softly, looking up at his saddened silver eyes.

"I have not the heart to tell you. For me the grief is still too near…" He whispered and his voice was so soft, I nearly missed his words.

~o~

A Key…a Key…A light hidden in Shadow.

Valo shot up in his bed of pillows with a gasp, looking around wildly. Nothing. Nothing stirred around him. Legolas was missing from where he had fallen asleep beside him. Frodo was gone too. The singing that had mere hours ago filled Caras Galadhon had fallen silent in the night. All was still and calm. The Fellowship were all sleeping soundly beneath the pavilion. None stirred at all. It was as if the entire world was frozen in the spell of the night, the only sound the gentle wisp of wind against the trees. All but one. A white figure glided mutely over the soft grass, her golden tresses reflecting the stars themselves it seemed. The Lady of the Light was as some sacred moon goddess come to earth to aid the pitiful mortals in their time of need. He bit his lip lightly and his mind strayed back to her words in the hall earlier. Would she give him his answers now? Would she shed some light on the many mysteries that he ached to have solved? So many questions surrounded his creation and life. Wasn't it time that he knew of the events regarding himself? How could he be happy if he wasn't even sure of his own life? Valo stood and quietly followed the Lady out of the lawn.

Everyone was shuttered away for the night, all in their own homes. It left the city empty and deathly silent. As he crept down one of the many paths in the wood, Valo noticed Legolas and Frodo walking back to the pavilion. The Ringbearer looked saddened but a new determination had entered his countenance. He wasn't sure where this new determination had come from but Valo sincerely hoped that it was not foolhardy and served Frodo well. He could hear Legolas lightly scolding the hobbit for sneaking off with no warning. No doubt he would be infuriated when he discovered his own bed mate missing as well. A mischievous smirk crept onto the teens face. He could only just imagine the elf's face.

"You shouldn't tease him so. The Mirkwood heir will be a great part of your life soon enough." That no-arguing tone of voice echoed throughout the grove that the Lady had led him to.

Valo's attention jerked back to the act at hand and he blushed at being caught snooping. Lady Galadriel stood in the center of the grove beside a pool of water trickling quietly in the night. He sighed and approached cautiously, anxious that she may reject his presence like his companions had. Surely he shouldn't be alone with the Lady of the Elves. It couldn't be proper. He was some dark, wicked thing and she was light personified.

"He is a large part of my life now, my Lady." He said softly, his mind drawn back to the steadily growing crush he had for the prince.

The corner of her mouth raised in a small smile. She turned to him and he nearly gasped. She was even more beautiful smiling.

"How old are you, child? Your true age in unknown to even I, but hold were you when the Dark Lord cursed you with dark immortality?"

Well that was a strange turn of conversation. It had been many many long years since he had pondered over that very thought. It was intriguing to him that she phrased his situation in such a way, but Valo supposed she was right. He had been cursed by his Master, though to what purpose he could not say.

"Fifteen, my Lady. I was fifteen years old. The rest is unknown to me. I was hoping that perhaps you could reveal some of it, so I wouldn't have to keep going through life not knowing." Valo finally said, revealing why he had followed her in the first place.

Perhaps she had already known his reasons. She turned from him to look into the pool contemplatively.

"Look into this pool, child. Tell me, what is it that you see?" Her musical voice asked lightly.

He looked down, curious. It was a lovely thing really. The water fell from a small waterfall that trickled its own natural lullaby to the world. The bottom of the basin was an unblemished silver, reflecting the moon in it's depths. It reflected his wavering reflection in the water as well. Valo sighed heavily, the sound a desolate and forlorn one.

"I see nothing…"

Galadriel leaned over so she was at eye level with him. Her sapphire eyes were intense as if he were missing something vital, something very important.

"Look again." The insistence in her voice pressed Valo to obey.

He looked back at his reflection in the pool and before his eyes, the image shifted with the ripples. His Master's eyes were staring out of his face.

My Pet…My Key…

The apparition turned to a vicious battle scene. Elves, Men, and Orcs all slaughtering each other in the background. His reflection turned to the scene and appeared on one of the Nazgul's winged Fell Beasts. He soared over the battle shouting orders in the Black Tongue and occasionally sending a sickening green light down on the Men and Elves. He could see members of the Fellowship lying cold and unseeing amidst the carnage. There was someone sitting in the saddle behind him, a black figure in a cloak. He had an arm wrapped around the reflection's waist and on the dark form's gloved hand sat…the One Ring. The cloaked figure turned towards Valo and flaming orange eyes met his startlingly. He couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from the scene despite the melodious voice speaking at his side.

"The Dark Lord searches for his Key, the one thing that will restore him to his former power. The Ring will restore his power but it is only with his Key that he can regain physical form and the strength of Ages."

Valo watched the apparition reach behind to pull his Master into a hard, fierce kiss that involved tongues and teeth. A cold, sick feeling settled in his stomach. The urge to vomit was overpowering. A single, terrifying truth was forming on his tongue and he had the urge to scream.

"I'm the Key…"

The scene ended with a flash of green light and all too familiar cruel laughter. Valo turned to Galadriel, his eyes filling with terrified tears. The Elf looked down at him, her face blank but for the soft warmth in her eyes.

"You were destined to do great things, Valokiloren, no matter what fate has thrust upon you. You have a large part to play in this indeed. Never give up hope and never surrender."

The thing in his mind cackled dementedly and mocked her words back to him, "Terrible but great."


	8. Awakening Loss

A/N: Alright, dream sequence time! What will Valo dream of this time? Past or present? I hope the last chapter cleared up some of your questions and I know that this one will as well. Thanks so much for all of your support! Let me remind you all once again, this story is SLASH. Don't like it, don't read it.

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~~Chapter Eight~~~ Awakening Loss

Ai! laurië lantar lassi súrien, Alas! Like gold fall the leaves in the wind,

Yéni úntimë ve rámar aldaron! long years numberless as the wings of the trees!

yéni ve lintë yuldar avánier The long years have passed like swift draughts

mi oromardi lisse-miruvóreva of the sweet mead in lofty halls beyond the West,

Andúnë pella Vardo tellumar beneath the vaults of Varda wherein the stars

nu luini yassen tintilar i eleni… tremble in the song of her voice…

Dream Sequence…

There was a castle behind me, the sights and sounds of battle filling my every thought. Strange people in robes were shooting lights at one another, some even turning into large howling beasts that attacked their foe without mercy. No one seemed to realize I was standing here, in the middle of all of this bloodshed. No one but a tall, elegant man in a black robe, sitting upon one of the dark steeds that the Nazgul used for travel. He was leveling me with a smirk, his crimson eyes filled with a hunger that I was all too familiar with.

"Master…" My voice echoed throughout the odd dream world though the only person who seemed to hear it was my Master, standing across from me on an outcropping at the center of the battle.

Someone got off a lucky shot and an entire tower of the castle crumbled and collapsed, the terrible sounds of many children falling from the ruined tower to their deaths cried out in the night. Something seized hold of me from the inside. Something wicked and malicious uncoiled within my very soul, stretching inside of me like a languid cat after a long sleep. My Master's smirk widened even though his own forces were falling like flies all around us as if their very life forces were being suddenly drained away. The enemy wearing white and red robes took advantage of this and began putting them in magical bonds. None f this broke through the haze my mind had become. There was something in my mind now, something chuckling in the deep darkness of my brain.

'Go to him. Go to your Master'

I couldn't disobey. I found myself abruptly by his side, his arms wrapped around me from behind and some sort of stick he held pointed at my throat. He was calling to an old man who stood mere meters away with a desperate, terrified look on his wizened face. I could not hear what was being said. It was as if the volume had been muted without warning. All I could make out was the sick glee that spread over my Master's face. He looked around at the ground, whispering something quickly. The people in the red and white robes began to desperately shooting those lights at us, though none made it past my Master's shield. The old man stood with a look of absolute horror on his face as some sort of portal opened beneath our feet. It engulfed us in darkness and I knew no more.

End Dream Sequence

I was sitting in the row boat next to Gimli, toying with the gift Lady Galadriel had given me before our departure. It was a green gemstone, the color of my eyes, inlaid in a silver brooch. The inside of the gem seemed to shift as if there were some sort of smoke inside, keeping me from seeing what was inside. Every so often I would catch a glimpse of something inside it's depths but it was as if there was some magic to prevent it's revealing. It was almost like the elves had caught a cloud inside the stones of earth and set it inside silver. It forever entranced me. I turned back to see Lorien shrinking as we floated further and further down the river Anduin and towards the Falls of Rauros. A grim sadness filled my heart at the loss. I knew I would never see the Lady of the Light again. I turned to my companions one by one. All seemed refreshed though there was a certain wariness in the set of Aragorn and Legolas's shoulders. The Ranger was surveying the shores of the Anduin as if he expected some foe to jump out of the woods at us at any moment. I could understand his caution though. I could feel some great evil approaching on the banks of the eastern shore, though I knew not what it was. Orcs? Somehow these had a different flavor in my mind's eye. I caught beautiful silver eyes staring at me and ducked my head with a blush. Legolas was watching me an awful lot lately. That was okay though. I was watching him an awful lot too. I couldn't believe that I was crushing on someone so…well, someone so Legolas. He was the Prince of bloody Mirkwood, by the Valor! I must be out of my mind.

Aragorn touched my shoulder to get my attention as we approached the enormous statues on each bank of the river. They were made of polished white stone, the very likenesses of the kings of Gondor.

"Valo, the Argonath. Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin." He whispered in awe and admiration.

I turned my eyes back up to the great statues. These were Aragorn's kin? An unusual jealousy filled my heart like the rising of the tide. I wondered what it must be like…to know your kin. To have a family. It must be like having a part of your heart opened to the light, the fresh spring air sweeping away the dust and webs of years of empty loneliness. Something must have shown on my face because I caught Legolas staring again though this time, he was frowning.

~o~

We had just touched down on the banks of the river, everyone scattering to find firewood and rest. Gimli had plopped himself down heavily on a rock and Legolas appeared as if he would approach me and say something but he didn't. Aragorn helped the hobbits out of the boats with Boromir. The man of Gondor looked perturbed and distressed over something. Perhaps it was the growing darkness that I felt even now tickling along my skin. Something was approaching. Aragorn's boots plodded closer against the rocky, muddy shore.

"We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north." He said simply.

A sharp thrill coursed down my spine. Mordor…My home. Was my being on this quest for the best? What was the sense in me going to the one place where my Master wanted me, with the Ring in my vicinity? It was just what he wanted. That voice in my head screeched against this thought. I should be doing my best to get back to my Master at all costs. I should be trying to deliver him a victory! It was so close…Legolas touched my shoulder softly and I shivered though this time it was not from darkness. My cheeks flared as he looked to me to assess my wellbeing. It warmed me inside that he was always checking up on me. Almost liked he cared. Gimli spoke up in that rough voice of his, vocalizing his displeasure at the road we had set before us.

"Oh, yes? It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands, far as the eye can see!"

Poor Pippin looked quite alarmed. I gave him an uplifting smile to ease his spirits. Aragorn stepped over to the elf and I, his face set upon Legolas's frown.

"We should leave now." Legolas whispered, eyeing the woods around us nervously.

Unconciously, I reached over to touch his shoulder, giving him the same comfort he had just bestowed on me. My keeper glanced down at the point of contact between us but said nothing on it. There was a curiousness in his face though.

"No. Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness."

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near...I can feel it!" The Mirkwood Prince insisted.

I nodded up at the Ranger.

"I have felt it as well, Aragorn. Just like with the Balrog. I can feel something coming. We are being tracked." I told him, looking over to the rest of the Fellowship by the bank.

He gave me a sharp nod and a pat on the shoulder. It was enough to tell me that he would keep a sharp eye on our surroundings. Legolas tugged me over to the side with purpose in his eyes. For once snce our journey began, we were alone. The potential between us made the air thick and charged it seemed. Or maybe I was just being…silly. Who would want me, after all? Except for my Master. Silver eyes pierced through me to my very soul it seemed. He decided to be the first to speak.

"What is this, Valo?" He asked at last.

My heart was clenching tightly, my stomach fluttering. I don't know why he asked me but I had been wondering much the same.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, running his hand through his flawless locks. He was frustrated with me, I knew but it couldn't be helped. I wonder…was he as affected by me as I was by him? Surely not. I was probably just some stupid reckless child to him.

"This…thing between us. Every time you're near, my eyes are always glued to you. Whenever you sleep, I find myself jealous of my friend for being the one to lie next to you. Tell me what this is so that I may find some relief at last." Legolas begged, his hands seeming to search for something to fidget with but finding nothing since I was no enemy.

Was he angry? My stomach dropped at the thought.

"I…I don't know what to say, Legolas. I've never felt like this with anyone. It is strange and new to me. I'm sorry…"

I wasn't sure why I was apologizing. Perhaps for causing him unneeded pain. What was a person supposed to do in these situations? I was far lacking anything that could remotely pass for normal social skills. He approached me softly, his gentle hand coming up to caress my cheek. It was a touch that I reveled in. I had never been touched this way before. Never with such tenderness and admiration. When his head dipped down to my level, his lips hovering so close I could almost taste them, I felt my eyes flutter closed. Was this really happening?

"May I kiss you, Valokiloren?" He whispered faintly, running his thumb over my jaw.

My body seemed to be trembling with the desire for him to do just that. My throat was so choked up that I could barely get out a barely audible 'yes'. His lips met my own with a spark of electricity that had us both seeking more. My hands tangled in his hair and his own slipped around my waist to pull me closer. I didn't know where this was going to lead to in the end or if it would lead to anything. What did this make us now? Would anything change at all? I wasn't sure, only that I wished I could kiss Legolas forever. His lips tasted of rain and growing things. Of life. Neither of us noticed the dark eyes watching us sadly from the trees. I never noticed the deadly calm silence of the voice in my head. The calm before the storm.


	9. Out of the Night That Covers Me

A/N: Hello hello, my many readers! I'm typing this from my school computer so pardon any mistakes on my part. Also I seem to be coming down with that nasty stomach bug everyone's getting. My laptop is once again infected with the same virus so bare with my choppy updates. Hope all of you are excited about this upcoming chapter! These chapter titles upcoming are from the song The Space Between by Dave Matthews. J

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~~Chapter Nine~~~ Out of the Night That Covers Me

Valo was on cloud nine as he walked idly through the woods nearby their camp sight. Legolas had given him one last tender kiss on his forehead, belying his affections before they had had to part. The elf had gone to speak to Aragorn about something while the teen had swooned off on his own. He couldn't be happier than he was right then. It just wasn't possible. Maybe one day Legolas would decide to keep him? That he loved him? And then he would take him to his home in Mirkwood to meet his parents and they would bond! They would live happily ever after with little elf younglings of their own and no one would care that he was Morgul because they would trust his mate's devotion and love. It was just too much happiness to exist! It may not happen, of course, but the possiblity was there! He had something to hope for. The voice in his mind gave an enraged hiss, bringing his thoughts back to the here and now. The truth came crashing back to him as viciously as a thunderous tidal wave. He was his Master's Key…He was created to assist in the Dark Lord's ascension to power. He was Sauron's Consort…There was no way that they would be able to be together. Not long term at least. Not unless the Dark Lord was destroyed and for that to happen he would have to…His lip trembled. Here he was wishing for his Master's demise! He was a twisted thing of the worst kind! Had he no loyalty? Would he eventually think of Legolas the same way? No. He would never! But he had once thought the same about his Master. What was the difference? Valo put his head in his hands, miserably wishing Gandalf was here with all of his wisdom. Once again, he felt the stab of loss for the Istari. The loss of the sense of safety he had presented.

He was pulled from his dark musings by the sound of words ahead and the shuffling of leaves. There was Boromir and Frodo talking ahead. Judging by the hobbit's unhappy face, Valo could guess what the conversation was about. He had felt the dark pull encircling Bormir like a noose ever since the journey began. The Ring ensnared the Man with its charms. Valo empathized with his situation though Boromir did not know his plight. He knew what it felt like to be trapped by darkness, unable to shake it's effects. It happened every time something with great evil neared. Every time the Witch King approached. Every time his Master willed him to feel it. Valo stepped closer, sensing Frodo's unease and the spiking evil around the warrior. Something terrible was going to happen. He hurried up to the two when he saw Boromir grab the Halfling harshly, the words he needed already on his tongue.

"Expelliarmus!" He cried and like magic the Man flew backwards, tumbling head over heels down the leaf covered embankment.

Valo rushed to the shaking, confused hobbit and seized him around the waist. A creeping, cold feeling washed over them both and he lead Frodo away quickly and quietly. Boromir was shouting behind them and despite the fact that they tried not to listen, they couldn't help but cringe inside at his malicious words. He lead his companion to a stone outcropping that used to be the foundation for some great building in Ages past now forming the slopes of Amon Hen. He willed the cold feeling away and slowly, warmth began to trickle back into their bodies. They were silent for a long moment, catching their bearings after the experience.

"That's the second time you've saved me on this journey. Thank you." Frodo whispered as if he feared that his attacker would hear him and return.

The Morgul teen gave him a half-smile, unsure whether it was Boromir or he himself who was the biggest threat to the kind hobbit in front of him. Maybe he should slip off in the night…Wouldn't it be safer for everyone if they weren't taking both of Sauron's possessions to Mordor in the same party? And there was also the hidden fear that he refused to face. That they would throw him into the fires of Mount Doom with the Ring if they were to ever discover what he really was. Legolas would hate him...Aragorn would too. They would think he had betrayed them. There was no thought more terrible in his mind that that. He would rather go back to his Master and face the punishment should Sauron ever find out of his betrayal. There was no way he could win. If he was accepted wholly into the Fellowship after they discovered his origins, then he would face his Master's wrath. If he returned to his Master, then he was a traitor to the people he loved. Either way, he would not come out of this unscathed. Frodo's soft eyes reminded him of the Ranger who cared for him, the Elf princess who believed in him and the Elf that he had fallen in love with. Their caring eyes were enough to shake the grim thoughts from his mind. It was worth it. For them , he would face all of the punishments his Master deserved to give him.

Aragorn appeared over the lip of the outcropping, a frown on his handsome face. He must have been scouring the forest of Parth Galen for dangers or signs of recent travelling. The shore of Nen Hithoel was a shining beauty on the landscape.

"Frodo? Valo?" The Ranger questioned with concern lacing his voice heavily.

Frodo shuddered at his side and Valo felt sympathy swell in his heart. Poor hobbit…He never asked for this quest. He never asked for the burden of the One Ring. Had Valo himself asked for his fate? Had he once upon a time made some grave error in judgement and put himself in the place of Sauron's Consort? Had he once upon a time…loved the Dark Lord? Perhaps before he became the thing he was now?

"The Ring has taken Boromir. I pushed him back and we ran." Valo said softly, touching the hobbit's shoulder in an attempt to give him some sort of comfort.

Aragorn's eyes narrowed in urgency and he stepped closer to them, forcing the shaky hobbit back two steps in fear.

"Where is the Ring?" The Man demanded even as his eyes swept Frodo's person for any sign of the tiny instrument of evil.

Frodo, poor frightened Frodo, recoiled from the Ranger. Aragorn's eyes softened in pity and regret. He loved Frodo. Perhaps not in the way that Valo loved Legolas but in the way that a protector loves a small child he looks after. Valo stood back to watch the exchange with a sadness in his heart. He knew what it felt to be chained…He had once been in Frodo's place, darkness filling his vision and the hopes of so many resting upon him. Had his Master taken that feeling of overwhelming responsibility from him? Had he showed Valo that one great compassion and that's why he had become his Consort? Had his Master even loved him once? Only the Dark Lord could know for the knowledge was gone from Valo's mind. Each memory slipping away like droplets cast up into the air, falling through time and space effortlessly, only the earth knowing their eventual destination.

"Frodo! I swore to protect you." Aragorn said in dismay, trying to ease the small hobbit's mind.

Frodo looked lost and hurt, unsure of who to trust. Valo knew that feeling well. That's how he had felt when he had woken up without his Master, on the banks of some strange shore. For one small moment, in the depths of his mind, he had thought that his Master had finally tired of him and abandoned him. After all, wouldn't it have been crueler to leave him alive?

"Can you protect me from yourself?" Aragorn's eyes showed truth. Even he wasn't sure if he would eventually succumb to the Ring's power. Valo hoped to the Valor it was so. If Aragorn failed, then the race of Men would follow. Frodo's palm slowly opened revealing Isilidur's Bane. Valo felt that familiar tugging in the depths of his soul, the feeling he felt each time he saw the Ring. It was his Master's Call…Could Sauron command him through the Ring? He shuddered at the thought of ever touching it for if he did, he would surely discover the answer, "Would you destroy it?"

The tone of the Halfling's voice, the dark look in his eyes, told Valo all he needed to know. Frodo, like him, had been touched by the Dark Lord. Not to the extent he had, for Sauron owned him body and soul, but just briefly. Just enough to have an effect. To leave him susceptible…Aragorn approached slowly and Valo had half the mind to call out to him, to beg him not to touch it. He reached out for the accursed thing. Sauron's voice began to fill the Morgul teen's mind, the soft whispers of the Black Tongue intertwined with serpent-like hisses that danced down his spine, making his every nerve sing. Valo shuddered, biting back a tender cry as the pull on him intensified. Neither of his companions noticed his struggle. The voice faded into nonexistence as Aragorn folded Frodo's small hand back over the Ring. His voice was so sincere, so full of emotion that there was no doubting his words.

"I would have gone with you to the end. Into the very fires of Mordor…"

Valo would have left them to their moment but the pull on him suddenly intensified. It was here…Aragorn jumped up, drawing his sword with all haste. He looked between us desperately, already slipping into the role of the fighting warrior.

"Valo, take Frodo and run! Go!"

There was no time to lose. Sting, Frodo's trusted sword, was glowing blue. Orcs. They were being tracked. Valo grabbed the hobbit and ran, already hearing the lous stomps and the clash of metal on metal as the Orcs made their way up the embankment. These were not Morgul orcs though. Their screeches were not in the Black Tongue or any of the Morgul Orc dialects he had become accustomed to over the Ages. These were new. He and Frodo raced through Parth Galen, the enemy already spilling over the sides of the hill behind them like ants scurrying away from their demise. They ducked behind a tree as Boromir jumped out in front of the Orc closest to them, already hacking away at the villains. Valo wracked his brain trying to come up with whatever it was that had helped them become invisible not long ago but it was no use. Whatever magic he possessed seemed to be completely unconscious. Nothing but their wits and their friends could save them now. Several Orcs clopped by fruitlessly, missing them by mere feet and their own stupidity. A blonde curly head popped up in the bushes across the way, joined by it's near twin. Merry and Pippin spotted them immediately and gestured over to them both. It didn't take much for them to realize what they intended to do. The Orcs were coming their way. They would be caught for sure if something didn't happen soon.

The two rascals jumped from their bush bravely and started to shout and run, distracting the Orc's from the Ring Bearer. Like the unintelligent race that they were, the Orcs all began to follow without question. No doubt they had been told to apprehend the Halfling though which Halfling they likely didn't know. Valo jerked Frodo out from behind the tree once the majority had passed. He could at least try to make it to the river! There they could take a boat and Valo could use his memories of his homeland to get the hobbit safely through Mordor. Another pang of guilt for defying his Master coursed through him but he shoved it down. He couldn't let Frodo die. For if he failed, it meant certain death for them all. That tingling was running below his skin once more as they ran, the adrenaline of fear bringing it to the surface. Yes! Before he could cast the invisibility of Frodo, an Orc came from nowhere and slammed into the small magic weilder, sending him crashing to the ground.


	10. A Break In The Fellowship

A/N: Yay! New chapter! Soooo, how's everyone feeling about these new turns of events? Hm? J It's all starting to piece together! The last chapter until the first installment is over! And then…onto my favorite of the trilogy! ^o^

Disclaimer: Nope! Though I do own the extended editions of the whole trilogy! MWHAHAHAHAH! Song belongs to Enya.

 

May it be an evening star, Shines down upon you  
May it be when darkness falls, Your heart will be true  
You walk a lonely road, How far you are from home  
Mornië utúlië (Darkness has come)  
Believe and you will find your way  
Mornië alantië (Darkness has fallen)  
A promise lives within you now  
May it be the shadows call, Will fly away  
May it be your journey on, To light the day  
When the night is overcome, You may rise to find the sun

 

~~~Chapter Ten~~~ A Break In The Fellowship

The thing growled furiously and it took nothing at all for the teen to release a blast of magic at it. The creature stumbled back, dazed and confused.

"Run Frodo! Run now!" Valo yelled to the terrified Ring Bearer.

Thank the Valor the Halfling did as he was told without question. Then again, with a face like that snarling at him, it shouldn't have been too difficult to comply. He erected a large shimmering shield to push the orcs now swarming around him back. They hacked at his shield viciously, sending jolts of pain coursing through him. His magic was a physical being to him, connecting him to it. It was a part of him. It flickered as his strength waned and began to fail. He was going to die…For the first time, he actually contemplated death. These Orcs didn't belong to his Master. They bore white face paint. They wouldn't think twice about destroying him with the others. His shield fell with a cry of despair from it's maker. Matching grins and snarls of triumph and promised pain echoed from the enemy, merely wetting their appetite for blood.

Just as the crowd began to step forward around him with raised weapons ready to strike, a figure leapt into the clearing, taking them all off guard. Several Orcs fell prey to their inattention and the sword that came down on them with all of the force of the defender behind it. Boromir slashed and bled his opponents quickly and with the efficiency of a true warrior of Gondor. He hauled Valo up with one hand, half dragging him forward through the trees. The Orcs howled their obscene war cries, attacking from all sides with every opportunity. Valo more than once felt the sting of a close call of some Orc's sword, shallow cuts but distracting nonetheless. He'd never seen his own blood before yet somehow the image looked vaguely familiar to his mind's eye. Boromir gave him a rather hard yank as they approached another valley between two hills. The Orcs were racing around them in an uproar, each trying for the best angle. Their disorganization gave the Man just enough to time to get three good blows out of the horn tied round his belt. The drain that power he had used was beginning to bare down on Valo and his feet seemed to be tied to the very rocks of the earth.

"Run! Run!" The Man yelled back to him as the Orcs kept coming for them.

Valo barely had time to react when Boromir jerked backwards, an arrow jutting sickeningly from his shoulder. He wasn't sure if it was him screaming or the Man himself. Valo watched as the warrior he had come to empathize with so much over their journey, shook off the pain he was in and continued to fight on heroically. Why wouldn't his feet move? Why was he so halted by the horror now racing through his whole being? Why was he so useless…? A second arrow hit Boromir in the stomach, forcing tears to spring to emerald eyes. No…no! Brown eyes looked at him in an expression of almost disbelief. An Orc came at them both, sword raised and all the man could do was raise his own and continue fighting. Why didn't Boromir just stay down? Why did he have to keep fighting? He would die! Terror for his companion rooted Valo to the spot, enough that when the third arrow hit it's mark, taking the swordsman to his knees, he didn't even question the sudden tingling that took hold of him. His mind seemed to slip into a furious static place and all he knew was the desire for vengeance. He witnessed the world from a different perspective suddenly. Everything was divided into enemy and ally. He took up Boromir's fallen sword.

The blade cut through Orc flesh like butter. He didn't know where he'd learned to fight since he had never held a blade before only that it was an exhilarating feeling. Like the feeling he got from kissing Legolas except darker and more bloodthirsty. And oh, did he thirst. Orc blood was black and thick and dribbled down his face in fat flecks as he defended the Man who had saved his life. He could hear nothing but the harsh scraping of Boromir's breaths behind him. Not the clang of Orc armor as they ran, nor the crunch of leaves underfoot. Not Merry and Pippin's juvenile war cries nor the footsteps of friendlier opponents approaching. His eyes must have been blazing past his tears for the burn he felt there. When the leader of the Orcs approached, snarling with arrow raised towards them, Valo gave a furious hiss back. The creature seemed to observe him for a long moment, taking in his orange eyes and threatening hiss. No doubt he saw him for what he was. A monster…Aragorn jumped out of nowhere, taking the thing down with him with a furious cry. Legolas and Gimli busied themselves with the other enemies while that stranger part of Valo began to slowly fade into the background.

He felt his shaking fingers release the blade, hearing it hit the ground with a dull thud as if through a veil. He turned to Boromir behind him who lay gasping for air through his broken body. He had collapsed at the base of the hill though he tried to give Valo a reassuring smile.

"You did very well…No doubt you will make someone very proud someday…" He choked and Valo felt his tears return with full force.

Make someone proud someday…no. There would be no one for someone like him. Boromir was dying. Even he could see it. Would this be the fate that awaited Legolas if he stayed with him? No, his death would probably be much more horrifying. His Master would see him and his Elven love punished for his transgressions. He was sentencing Legolas to death…just as surely as he had sentenced Boromir. He Man had been injured trying to protect him. And now…He gave a choked sob, clinging to Boromir's hand desperately. He couldn't lose anyone else! He just couldn't! Soon he would have no one!

"Please don't go…!" He begged the Man, tenderly wiping his face of blood as the battle continued on around them, all of them unawares of the other.

Legolas set a hand on his shoulder, gently pulling the sobbing teen away as Aragorn ran to his fallen brother in arms. Valo watched with an aching heart as the Men said their last goodbye. The bodies of dead Orcs littered the ground around them. It was no fitting place for a son of Gondor to be laid to rest. Valo had to focus on something other than the death of the Man before him. Frodo had escaped. He was beyond their reach now. Sam too. And the remaining Orcs had carried off the last two hobbits kicking and fighting the whole way. He could hear Boromir take his final breath and he knew the Man was at peace at last. Aragorn said a prayer over his comrade. Valo quickly buried his face in Legolas's shoulder, unwilling to see the Ranger commit their fellow to the boat at the shore. Strong, toned arms wrapped around him compassionately, whispering a soft prayer in Sindarin above his head. So was laid to rest the great Son of Gondor. No longer would he grace the halls of the White Tower. They set him to rest along with his shield and his sword towards a warrior's burial on the Falls. Legolas quickly seized the other boat, already pushing it out into the water.

"Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the Eastern shore!" He urged, turning to their leader for fellowship.

Valo went to obey but Gimli's hand on his still tear streaked face prevented him from following. Aragorn strapped on the arm guards pensively, watching his brother float away down the Anduin. The Ranger gave a grieving sigh and turned to the Elf, warring in his deep eyes. They could see the Hobbits across the river heading into the woods. Valo had never felt so hopeless in his entire lifetime.

"You mean not to follow them." Legolas said with desolation. It was not a question after all.

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

What now? What would they do now? The quest was a failure. The Dark Ones would come for Valo now once they had the Ring and killed Frodo. Middle Earth would fall to the Dark Lord and the ones he held dearest would suffer the most of anyone…Gimli walked over to them, his heavy boots a reassuring sound against the soft dirt of the shore side.

"Then it has all been in vain. The Fellowship has failed." He said in that deep husky voice of his.

His voice was downtrodden. Legolas was staring ahead as if he were in disbelief, unable to accept the consequences of their inaction. It was not consoling to Valo. To see these strong men he had come to depend on so lost and hopeless was a deep blow. Would he ever feel secure again? Safe and warm and comforted? Would they return to Rivendale now with news of their failure? Would Legolas leave his behind in the elf city in his grief, leaving Valo to the grace of the Valar and his Elven captors? Aragorn put a calming arm around his shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze of comfort.

"Not if we hold true to each other." He could see the anguish leak from the eyes of their comrades, determination spilling in to replace their loss, "We will not abandon Merry and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left! Leave all that can be spared behind."

The Dwarf and Legolas jumped to action quickly. Valo could only stare out at Aragorn collecting his weapons, his own hope a seedling held in the bosom of doubt. Could they do this? Could he do this? Make his way past this second loss, this overwhelming grief once more? He had done it the first time. While he still dearly grieved for Gandalf, he had learned to make his way passed it, to accept it. Would he too come to accept Boromir's passing? Aragorn gave him an unwavering, firm nod and a brief smile.

"We travel light, Valo. Let's hunt some Orc!"

Gimli gave an excited, resolute yell of anticipation and chased off after the Ranger who was beginning to turn to the woods behind them. Legolas's eyes were shining with the desire to aid Frodo in any way possible. He took Valo's hand tenderly, leading him along as they ran. Valo had never felt more alive than he did right then with his friends at his side and his beloved's hand in his own. They ran together towards danger and desire and the red dawn.


	11. Flight Into the Riddermark

A/N: Welcome all to The Sleeper Stirs, the second installment in my Sleeper Trilogy. I know it's a day late so I apologize profusely on my hands and knees. This second volume, like the first, will closely follow the movies but it's in this volume that it starts to diverge from the cannon. There will be more SLASH in this volume as well as implied (?) non-con, so you have been warned. We'll be seeing more of Valo's past, present and future so hold on tight.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except an old Blackberry, a laptop and a one eyed dog named Merceilious.

~~~~~~ The Sleeper Stirs~~~~

~~~~Chapter 11~~~ Flight Into the Riddermark~~~~

Aragorn lay with his ear to the stone, listening to the far off sounds of heavy footprints. Valo was panting against Legolas behind him, unused to such speeds or exercise unlike his companions. He'd been locked up in Barad-Dur and Minas Morgul for Ages, what could they expect? His beloved touched his head gently, his eyebrows creased in worry and unspoken question. He wanted to know if Valo was going to be able to keep up.

"I'm sorry…I'm trying to keep up…I don't want to be a burden." The teen panted, trying to catch his breath for the next round of travel.

His need to help them seemed to summon that tingling energy to his call. It was closer to the skin nowadays than it ever had been. If he could learn to wield it…

"Maybe I could carry you? Like the last time." Legolas suggested but it only made Valo wince.

That would be even worst. It would slow down the whole party, not that that wasn't what he was doing now by making Legolas practically drag him along. He wished the rocks were high enough for him to bang his head against. He just needed something to help…like the quickness of an Elf or wings like a bird. Valo pushed all of that tingly feeling towards his fingers tips. It moved like some thick liquid flowing towards his goal. It seemed like sludge, like it was groggy from Ages of disuse. Like a child trying to shake off a long sleep. With a final push, he pushed it out into the air, bidding it to offer some sort of aid. Would help come? A bush to their left shuddered. Would it be strong enough to summon him some sort of help? Aragorn was about to bid them to hurry when a sudden whooshing noise permeated the air. Legolas was about to push him behind him, ready to defend to the death when, of all things, a tree branch stopped in front of them, hovering in the air like some sort of strange organic bird. It had…flown. Flown through the air to come to him.

"By the Valar…" Gimli whispered, watching it in amazement.

Was this the aid his power had summoned? Was he to ride it? It was sturdy enough it seemed. It was about as wide around as a cup with a large tuft of leaves at the end and a great large knob on one side. Valo touched the thing cautiously and it seemed to purr. Despite it having obviously fallen from whatever tree or bush it had originally housed, it was warm to the touch. He looked up at his companions. They all were looking at it as if they expected it to start to bark and try to bite them at any moment. Each had their hand on their weapons. He gave a shrug and pushed himself onto it cautiously. It didn't shudder or buck him, in fact it didn't give at all with his weight. It slowly raised itself into the air with him on it's handle. Valo shot his companions a wide smile. Aragorn took his acceptance as pay and turned back towards the ridge up ahead.

"Their pace has quickened. They must have caught our scent."

Legolas didn't seem as convinced as the Ranger, woefully and resignedly accepting this new strangeness. He started after the now sprinting warrior with his love flying in the sky above.

"Stay low, Valo! We don't want them to spot you." He yelled up at the blissful teenager.

And if the weird thing gave, it wouldn't be too devastating a fall. Legolas lived in fear that the thing would give out and Valo would fall to his death at their feet. But Valo, true to his command flew down to fly right alongside him with a smile the likes of which he hadn't seen on the teen's face in all of the time knowing him. Valo could have shouted in joy at the feeling of flying through the air. It was the most freeing experience he had ever felt! He felt as if he could go anywhere, be anyone he wished instead of who people told him to be, if only he could fly high enough! He didn't even really have to steer the tree. It was a creation of his own magic and his magic knew what he wanted without words or commands. They came to stop in a wide valley between two outcroppings as Aragorn kneeled down to read some tracks. Valo came to hover just above the ground, his toes skimming the grass. Despite their grim voyage, he felt lighter, freer than he ever had. Aragorn picked something up from the dirt, a metallic green leaf not unlike the ones they wore on their own cloaks.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lorien fall." The Ranger said, more to himself than anyone.

"They may yet be alive." The Mirkwood Prince insisted while Valo came to touch down next to him.

"I don't think the Uruk-hai want Merry and Pippin dead. If their master thinks that they have the Ring, he will want them alive when they are brought to him." Valo explained, petting the branch he held like a favored pet.

It vibrated with pleasure at his fond touch as if it truly were a living thing. Gimli stomped over, his irritation making him growl out at the Morgul teen's statement.

"And what makes you so sure of that, Master Valo?"

His voice was full of annoyance at everything. Valo knew that the Dwarf was only venting, so he gave him the best answer he could. He shrugged and remounted his branch with a dark but soft look in Gimli's direction.

"It's what Master would do."

The three of them could only look at the teen now slowly raising up in the air again. The branch's movements seemed to reflect Valo's moods. It was so easy to forget where Valo really came from…what he really was. It was so easy to forget and pretend that he belonged with them, had been one of them all along. Little did they know that those were his own thoughts as well.

They traveled for what seemed an Age, Valo flying above the three warriors and keeping a silent vigil day and night. Once or twice he succumbed to sleep and was forced to ride on Legolas's back during the night. The Elf Prince had insisted upon this much to the exhausted teen's dismay. All the while, that strange pull tugged on Valo's core, leading him towards a growing darkness in the Northeast. What was in the Northeast that drew him so? It was almost a craving to obey the command and fly straight and true towards it's source. Like a stream to the mouth of a great river, flowing against the tide but eventually all leading down stream. It was an inevitability that he go there. Fate. Something dark and bitter rose in him at the word. It was an unconscious feeling but something told him that he didn't care much for Fate. Aragorn came to a stop at the top of a rocky crag.

"Rohan. Home of the Horse-lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures. Sets its will against us. Valo, fly high and tell me what you see! Legolas, can you spot them?"

Gimli trudged up, panting behind the Ranger.

"They head to the southern end of the Misty Mountains in the Northeast, Aragorn!" Valo shouted down from the taller-than-his-lover-liked height.

Legolas frowned, his eyes widening.

"They are taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"

Isengard. Valo frowned, rolling the name around in his mind, almost tasting it. Orthanc. That was where the Maiar Curuir resided with the Orthanc-palantir. He recalled an image if the Ithil-stone in Barad-dur, sitting in his Master's private chamber. It had a direct line to the other palantir, including the Orthanc-stone. It was without a doubt that the Istari had been corrupted by his Master's influence. Even from Rohan, he could see the smoke rising from Isengard from his height in the sky.

"Bloody Wizards!" Gimli cursed as they began to run once more.

Valo nearly dropped his hold on his broom. The statement struck a deep cord in him, something ingrained and sorrowful. Wizards…an image filled his minds eye, his Master as he was when he first came to Middle-Earth, holding a stick pointed at him with an expression of wicked glee on his handsome face. But why would his Master point a stick at him? Valo shook of the overwhelming sense of anxiety. There was something there that rebelled against his thinking about that image and yet another part that demanded that something terrible would happen if he did not. The voice in his head chuckled darkly, biting the soft laugh off in a hiss that sent shivers down his spine. What was happening to him?

The Riddermark was vast and hilly with rocks scattered about here and there, some the size of a group of Men. Valo touched down as Aragorn began to pause. He had seen some large moving shape not far off.

"Aragorn…There's something coming." He said cautiously, taking hold of Legolas's hand for reassurance.

It struck his heart something painful, that eventually they wouldn't have these small comforts. Eventually, Legolas would discover his duality, his terrible secret, and he would leave. He would no doubt kill him, thinking he was a spy. The memory of the Elf's arrow aimed at his face forced a shudder from Valo and quickly, he released the hand holding his own, wrapping them around his tree branch instead. They would hate him…He tried to avoid the frowning eyes looking down at him in concern. The Ranger nodded, standing from where he had been observing tracks in the dirt. He beckoned them all behind a large boulder as the sound of many horses approached. Valo watched in amazement as a legion of horsemen all rode by, their clomping hooves seeming to shake the very ground beneath them. He'd never seen so many horses in one place in all of his life! It was amazing and a little frightening. The great beasts, while smaller than the fell beasts of the Nazgul, were large and powerful. Their muscles pounded beneath their skin and their eyes danced around looking for any sign of an enemy. Valo couldn't help but to shrink away slightly. Aragorn stepped out of the safety of the boulder once the Rohirrim passed, despite Valo's soft plea not to go.

"Riders of Rohan! What news from the Mark?" The Ranger called, bidding his friends follow.

The Rohirrim did not shout back. Their leader put his spear up in the air, directing them all to turn. Much to Valo's anxiety, the Riders surrounded the group, spears out and mere inches away from them. Legolas pulled Valo behind him, sandwiching the defenseless teen between himself and Aragorn. He fought the urge to clutch the Elf's hand once more though he knew it would only serve to hinder his love's weapons draw. The Rohirrim leader glared down at them with all of the seriousness of a man driven to protecting his lands.

"What business does an elf, a man, and a dwarf have with a young lady in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" He demanded, his voice cutting and hard as Gimli's axe.

Valo tilted his head to the side. Lady? His eyes widened and a blush spread across his face at the realization that the Rider thought HE was a lady. He was never going to live this down…The Dwarf stood stoically in the face of their new adversary, leaning on his battle axe as if he didn't believe the horsemen to be a threat. Valo had to admire his nerve, he thought with an inward smile. That was until the Dwarf sent him a mischievous smirk. Oh great.


	12. Turning of the Tide

A/N: Yay! Chapter two! Woot! What's going to happen next, eh? Valo seems to know more about what's going on in the war than even he knows. :D Sounds promising! So, love to all of you reviewers and hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~~~~Chapter Twelve~~~ Turning of the Tide

Valo tilted his head to the side. Lady? His eyes widened and a blush spread across his face at the realization that the Rider thought HE was a lady. He was never going to live this down…The Dwarf stood stoically in the face of their new adversary, leaning on his battle axe as if he didn't believe the horsemen to be a threat. Valo had to admire his nerve, he thought with an inward smile. That was until the Dwarf sent him a mischievous smirk. Oh great.

"Give me your real name, Horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." Gimli said calmly, and perhaps somewhat rudely for the look Aragorn gave him.

The Rider disembarked, his expression one of profound annoyance and offense. He glared down the Dwarf harshly.

"I would cut off your head, Dwarf, it stood but a little higher from the ground." He spat before his eyes flicked to Valo and softened somewhat, "Are you in any danger, my lady? Are these men hurting you?"

Valo's face was as red as a tomato. He was so embarrassed he thought he would surely be swallowed up by the earth itself. He stepped between Gimli and the Horseman, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Please, let us not argue, friends. I am perfectly safe, Master Rider and despite your…confusion over my sex, I thank you gratefully for you concern over my welfare." Valo gave him a shy, embarrassed smile.

Aragorn stepped up beside his charge, placing a grateful hand on his shoulder. The Rider looked taken aback and rather embarrassed himself though he recovered quickly. The Ranger could understand why. Despite how hard it was to NOT like Valo, he had the security of his lands to worry about first and foremost.

" I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn, this is my ward, Valo, Gimli son of Gloin, and Legolas of the woodland realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden your King."

The Rider sighed, his whole demeanor seeming to change, folding from the cold warrior to a despondant, though no less filled with anger, man. He pulled his helmet off and Valo could see the recognition in his companion's eyes.

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from even his own kin. Saruman has poisoned the mind of the King and claimed lordship over his lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan, and for that we are banished." The Rider leader looked among them, once again seemingly suspicious, "The white wizard is cunning. He walks here and there they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked, and everywhere his spies slip past our nets."

Gimli gave the man a rather nasty sneer. Valo shot him a look that plainly said 'Keep your mouth shut!'. He felt Legolas's hand touch his back gently and immediately, reassurance flooded his being. Valo held in a secret smile. What would he do without Legolas? His smile fell shortly. What was he going to do without Legolas…? Aragorn had picked back up the conversation to reassure the Rohirrim of their good intentions.

"We are no spies. We track a party of Uruk-Hai westward across the plain. They have taken two of our friends captive." The Ranger said, almost pleading the Rider's to give him the information they so badly needed.

Valo looked desperately up at the man who had so recently confused him for a woman.

"Have you seen them? Please, have you seen my friends?" He begged, earning only sad soft eyes in return.

He almost knew the answer before the Rider said it.

"The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them in the night." The man said calmly though his voice was regretful if only for the distressed teen before him.

His companions stepped in to push them more, anxiously seeking the news they need, that one piece of information to give them hope enough to continue.

"But there were two hobbits. Did you see two hobbits with them?"

"They would be small. Only children to your eyes."

Only children…Children should never be made to fight in wars. Children were meant to be treasured and loved and protected. So why did he feel as if he had never experienced such a thing? Did his Master raise him? Was he created at his current age so he lacked a childhood and therefore lacked any childhood memories? Would he ever know…?

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them."

None alive…Carcasses. It was so much easier for them to think of them as bodies and not as actually people they had destroyed. Actual lives they had halted forever. Valo felt bile raise up in his throat. None alive…Merry and Pippin…They couldn't be. No. Not them. They were too sweet and innocent. Too loving. They hadn't done anything wrong…They hadn't done anything wrong! He could feel a scream bubbling up in his throat, boiling with the intensity of ever death and violence and heartache that he had felt since this journey had begun. Maybe he was never meant to come on this quest at all…He wasn't meant for this sort of thing. He wasn't created for big things like this. For saving-people things. He was merely a tool of his Master's conquest, an extension of the Dark Lord's will. He would never be his own person. Too much of himself had been sold away and he didn't even know why. He didn't catch the Rohirrim's goodbye, only the heavy din of their riding away broke him from his reverie. They had been left two horses and Valo mounted his branch idly, wishing for the warm embrace of his beloved desperately though he couldn't bring himself to ask. He had no right to accept Legolas's affections. He was a monster…

Valo desperately did not want to approach the burn pile but despite it all he did. Merry and Pippin had suffered this death and the least he could do was look. If it weren't for him they may have made it…The sky was beautiful and blue but nothing could distract from the rank smell of burned flesh and blood soaked soil. Valo wasn't sure why these horrifying smells were so familiar to him. An image of a red headed female laying lifeless and unseeing in the dirt, her throat opened like a crimson mouth grinning at the heavens filled his mind. The sight made his breath stutter and he brutally shoved the image away, terrified and disgusted by it's imagery. Why did these things keep coming to him? Were they figments of his imagination? Were they memories? Were they somehow his Master's thoughts? Had his Master done something to his mind to punish him from afar? Gimli shuffled through the pile with his axe, pulling something sickeningly familiar from the wreckage.

"It's one of their wee belts…" He whispered.

Aragorn released a scream of despair that rocked him to his core, kicking a helmet in his rage. Valo could empathize with his helplessness. They'd been too late. Legolas was praying in Elvish. How many deaths was he going to have to witness until the Fellowship failed? Until his Master had him in his clutches again? Who would be next? Gimli? Aragorn? Legolas…? He'd wandered off alone around the pile, his mind too stunned to even muster tears correctly. His companions were shuffling around on the other side, Aragorn probably tracing the tracks from the battle- no, the massacre- that had happened here just last night. Every few seconds, he would come across some small sight that stirred something in his mind. A whisp of smoke from a charred body. The way the light reflected on a bloody weapon. The stench of decay. The lifeless eyes staring back at him. Yellow blank orc eyes turned to dead black ones, bleeding blue, scared silver-grey. What was happening to him? Maybe…maybe it was time he returned to Barad-dur. If only for answers. If he was true to himself, he never belonged here anyways. Pretending he was a normal human…it was almost obscene. That voice in his mind hissed low.

'Of course you're not normal. You're the Dark Consort, meant to rule at the Dark Lord's side during his ascension to power. Do you think they will want you once they know what you are? Your Master knows the darkest, innermost part of you. He holds complete acceptance of what you are. He wants you still, you ungrateful child. He offers you everything and asks only your devotion in return.' 

Valo heaved a dry sob, fighting against the voice's reasoning.

"But it's no more than a cage…What's the point of complete acceptance and offering me all, if I spend Age after Age under his sleep curse?"

The voice sneered.

'Remember, child, to take heed of what await's the sin of greed.' It chuckled darkly.

A sudden poem rose in his mind like a soft smooth tide. He couldn't resist saying it out loud, tasting the words on his tongue.

"Enter stranger but take heed of what awaits the sin of greed. For those who take but do not earn, must pay dearly in their turn." He whispered, frowning in confusion.

It was an intriguing poem really and very true. It sounded like it would be on the doors of the Dwarrodelf or a…

"Or a vault…"

Valo's eyes widened. A vault? It sounded…right. But where would there be a vault? He supposed Sauron probably had a few and no doubt the Kings of Men would have one for valuables and heirlooms and things. But where had he seen it? For surely it must be on one of them. Hm. Aragorn could probably tell him. Or Legolas. Should he discuss his thoughts and strange images with them? The sudden commotion of his comrades caught him back to reality and he rushed to join them, casting his thoughts off for a less harried time.

"The tracks lead away from the battle!" Aragorn said, stopping at the edge of the large, impending tree line, "Into Fangorn Forest…"

~ o ~

The Witch King of Angmar soared over the plains of Dunland by night, searching as ever fir the missing Key. The Fell Beast he rode gave a shriek that could be heard for miles around. Where was he? Where was his Consort? The other Nazgul had flown to the east to search the mountain passes to search for the One Ring. Orange flaming eyes looked out of his servants body furiously. His Consort would soon be overcome by the visions and the pull of the dark. He would come to him, but would it be before it was too late? Would one of his enemies catch hold of him? He shrieked in rage. He wanted results! He would have his Key back if it meant he had to burn every village, every wood, and every plain in Middle Earth to find him, down to the last small creature! A fierce snarl could be heard by no one but the empty sky. Perhaps it was time to have a little reencounter with his little Consort. Oh yes. Past time indeed. Sauron left his servant, leaving only pain behind to signal his displeasure at their results.


	13. Another Stage Begins

A/N: Yup. Here it is. The third chapter of the second volume. :) Happy dayyyyy….So thank all of you for your amazing reviews, they definitely cheer me up and inspire to write more! I know you guys hate me for that cliffy but all will come in due time!

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~~Chapter Thirteen~~~ Another Stage Begins

Valo felt the air within the forest thicken as they entered, tasting of soil and damp things. The leaves were soft and the ground spongy beneath his boots. The press of anger and the closeness of the air was unsettling to him. It reminded him of the deep, darkest dungeons of Barad-Dur where the air was just as thick and foul with the smells of tormented death. At least hear it was full of ancient, growing things.

"This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory and anger." Legolas whispered, almost to himself.

Valo began to reach out for him but stilled himself. He would not be selfish. Unfortunately, his thoughts only caused him to trip rather quickly over a root. The only thing keeping him from crashing to the ground was Legolas's rather quick hand catching him. Valo grinned in embarrassment and amusement. Okay, so he was going to be selfish. Damn. Could he be blamed though? Legolas's hand felt so good in his own. So right.

"Is Fangorn as old as your home, Legolas?" He asked, stumbling up and soaking in the warmth from his beloved's attentions and contact.

The Elf prince smiled down at him brightly, stroking an errant strand of hair behind his ear.

"Older in fact. Much older." The trees around them seemed to groan inhumanely, as if their very roots were shifting. Perhaps they were, " The trees are speaking to each other." Aragorn bid the startled Gimli to lower his axe quietly, "They have feelings my friend. The Elves began it. Waking up the trees, teaching them to speak."

Valo stared around in wonder. Trees that could communicate. How entrancing. He gave one a fond, gentle stroke as he passed, patting it with a smile. Legolas chuckled at his antics, squeezing an arm around his waist in a short hug. Warmth filled the teen at the touch. He loved Legolas. He really honestly loved him. Legolas was his reason to smile. When he smiled, Valo smiled. When the Elf was sad, Valo cried. No one else could make his heart seemed to skip a beat at just the smallest glance. It hurt his heart to know that he would have to chose between Legolas and his Master. His Master…the one who had taken him in, kept him safe, made him his Consort, given him everything. Against the elf prince he was in love with. He loved Legolas…but did Legolas love him? Sure he knew that he liked him very much but was it real, I-want-to-grow-old-with-you love? How could he know? He could ask but on the other hand…what if he said no? So wrapped in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Legolas had flitted off until he returned to their side, a serious expression on his face.

"Aragorn, nad no ennas. Something's out there." The archer whispered, his blue eyes casting around the surrounding trees for sight of what hunted them.

"Man cenich? (What do you see?)"

Valo shifted nervously. He was still unarmed. What good would he be against an opponent? He would only serve to get in the way and that delightful power that had served him in the past was no where to be found. Legolas's words sent a thrill of fear coursing through his blood.

"The White Wizard approaches."

Saruman! He would take him back to Master and his Master would kill Legolas! He would kill them all! His eyes darted around, full of fear and uncertainty. His entire body thrummed tensely. And then…Legolas shot him a reassuring smile that forced his fight or flight response to still. Legolas and Aragorn were here…they wouldn't let him get hurt or taken. They loved him. For now. It was that smile that made him realize in that instant that he had to come clean with Legolas. He had to tell him the truth. For better or worst, he had to tell him what he was lying with at night. What a monster that he held hands with…He had to tell him what he was to the Dark Lord. And Aragorn too. They both deserved to know.

"Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us." Aragorn whispered and a thrill of another kind built up in Valo's body.

The thrill of magic. A flash of some strange words in what looked like a large stone chamber came to mind but he shook it off quickly. Now was not the time for that, though the vision left him feeling somehow hollow as if he had lost something dear. He couldn't feel that pull of darkness unusually strong ahead, only the usual pull towards Orthanc. Was Saruman somehow masking his own magic to remain unnoticed for an ambush? He pulled that tingling magic into his hands, balling it up in each palm to be ready to cast at a moments notice. This was his strong point. He couldn't fight with a sword, he couldn't fire a bow or wield an axe. He could use magic. He could protect his loved ones. And then suddenly, they were turning to attack and a sudden bright light filled the wood. Valo winced against the illumination but threw that magic in his palms into a shimmering, clear dome in front of his comrades. It would at least prevent the wizard from casting any spells from his staff at them.

Gimli threw his axes and Legolas shot off an arrow towards the vague figure they could see in the beams of light. Both were deflected with ease. Aragorn raised his sword to launch an attack but his sword began to heat to a fiery orange. He dropped the blade with a hiss of pain. Aragorn was in danger! They were in danger! His magic responded quickly, rising like a tsunami and jerking from his fragile control just as it had in Khazad-dum. His eyes filled with the flame-like orange of his Master's power and the shield swelled outward violently. Valo tried desperately to reign it back in but the magic only slammed back into his own body. It seared through him like fire and he could hear his Master's whispered words hissing in his mind. Valo wasn't sure if he was screaming. He couldn't hear anything past the words in his mind growing ever louder and the rush of power through his body. His Master was pushing more into him though for what reason he did not know, churning up his own magic like sediment on a still riverbed. It was too much! He had to let it out somewhere! Suddenly, he knew his Master's desire. He knew what he wanted him to do with all of that power. He wanted him to push it all out of his body and into the sky. To create a beacon. His mind was so scattered from all of the sensations and pain at once that he couldn't summon to mind why this was a bad idea. He could only think to obey. Something soft touched his forehead, a cool hand to calm the rage of magic inside him.

His Master shrieked in fury but the darkness ebbed from him quickly. A soothing coolness calmed his fried nerves, spreading from that touch against his head. Valo wanted to sob in relief but nothing seemed to work. He felt himself cradled in someone's secure arms. He knew those arms but surely…it wasn't possible. He fell…The smell of Legolas filled his senses as reality began to return. He smelled blood and magic. Light magic. Where was the blood coming from? His shirt felt warm and wet. That was finally what prompted him to open his eyes. He was met with kind, warm blue eyes. Eyes he had expected not to ever see again. His breath stilled in his chest in surprise.

"Gandalf…?" He whispered in shock.

The wizard nodded with a smile. He had saved him…He was alive…He was alive! A pressure began in his chest and Valo frowned inwardly.

'Breathe.' That voice inside his mind said softly, pushing him to obey.

He did without though. All malice was gone from the voice and it seemed to be more pensive and patient. As if it were waiting for something. What was it waiting for? It didn't even seem angry about Gandalf's sudden rising from the dead. Valo was still unable to take his eyes from the man. Somehow, Gandalf had saved him from his Master's power consuming him. What would have happened if it had? Sauron needed him alive or his plans were ruined. So what was he hoping to achieve? Valo's eyes looked up at the tree top as he only vaguely registered the hubbub around him. Of course…a beacon. He wanted him to give away their position to the Nazgul who were no doubt looking for him. He probably had more than Nazgul searching for him now. He brought a trembling hand to his shirt, only to find it soaked in blood. His face was wet as well. Someone retrieved a cloth of some sort from somewhere and Aragorn appeared before him to wipe his face free of blood. He was surprised by the amount. The Ranger pressed it against his forehead where some sort of jagged wound lay. Gandalf's eyes were resting on the mark with a light frown but he said nothing. Valo was finally able to sit up and he was met with a fretting Legolas, stroking his head affectionately. It was harder than he'd ever imagined to look at the pensive Elf.

Valo was more afraid than ever of what he would find there if he did. He could only remember what had happened last time he had lost control, what Legolas had thought of him then. Now he had lost control more than ever, surely he would think terrible things of him. Things that were probably more true than he knew. His beloved tilted his head up to kiss his lips tenderly. It nearly broke his heart in two to know that Legolas was so in love with someone who was lying to him all along. Was already destined to another. His heart felt like he'd suffered a wound and the worst part was that he knew that he would continue to soak in Legolas's love for as long as possible. He was a selfish twisted creature. Gandalf seemed to sense his distress because he gave the teen a squeeze of his hand before helping Aragorn hoist the exhausted and drained Valo onto the Ranger's back instead of Legolas's.

"Come, we must be swift." The wizard demanded and they set off through the woods, Gandalf relaying his tale and all he knew along the way.

~ o ~

They rode towards Edoras with all haste, Valo sheltered safely between the arms of his keeper on horseback while Legolas rode with Gimli and Gandalf rode the Mearas, Shadowfax. The pull of darkness on his soul was less aggressive the further from Isengard they rode. The White Mountains in the distance were a natural beauty on the horizon. They rode for a span, as long as daylight would allow, and stopped for the night for a much needed rest and recovery. Aragorn and Gandalf were away from the camp for a time, speaking in veiled whispers and looking out towards the east. Valo's stomach tightened. The east was always a shadow in his mind. A whisper of fearsome power and his even more terrible destiny. The shadow of Mordor was ever present in his mind. But the task he was faced with now weighed even heavier on his heart. He gestured the two over so that the company was all together around the fire. Legolas seemed on edge. No doubt he could sense something terribly wrong with his beloved. Valo had been unable to look at him straight since he had lost control. Shame ate away at the teen's heart. He had deceived Legolas, given him the impression that he was some innocent when really he was the monster they strove to defeat. Aragorn and Gandalf settled in around them all and Valo drew a deep breath, trying to steady himself for this revelation. He only hoped that they would not kill him on the spot like he so deserved. Perhaps that was for the best though…Sauron could not gain a body again if Valo was dead. He was his Key after all…

"I need to tell you all something important…and before I do, I just want to let you know that I never meant to sabotage this mission or hurt any of you. I only wanted to help…I want you to succeed, to destroy the Ring so everyone can be happy. But I can't keep lying to you any more…" He shuddered under their gaze, "I'm not just a child of Mordor. I'm not just the Witch King's ward. I'm the Dark Lord's Consort."


	14. Revelations

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about that last cliffy but we all know that getting to see their reactions will be well worth it! :D Hope you guys love it! The truth is revealed! Well, sorta. XD

Disclaimer: Nope! I own nothing Tolkien or JK. I love them though!

~~Chapter Fourteen~~~ Revelations

"I need to tell you all something important…and before I do, I just want to let you know that I never meant to sabotage this mission or hurt any of you. I only wanted to help…I want you to succeed, to destroy the Ring so everyone can be happy. But I can't keep lying to you any more…" He shuddered under their gaze, "I'm not just a child of Mordor. I'm not just the Witch King's ward. I'm the Dark Lord's Consort."

~ o ~

They were all shocked into silence for a span, a heartbeat in which Valo stood as one condemned. Surely they would reject him now. Strike him down. Gandalf, for all of his omniscience and knowing, did not look surprised at this revelation. Had he known all along? Or was it something he had discovered in "death"? Aragorn's expression was what tore him apart. It was much like the expression he had worn when he'd realized that there was nothing more he could do for Frodo. Despair, helplessness. Valo was terrified to look at Legolas. He couldn't do it. What must he think of him? No doubt nothing that he wouldn't think about himself. Faithless, whore, deceiver, liar. His face crumbled and Valo fought the urge to bury his face in his hands. Gimli was sputtering incoherently as if torn between releasing a war cry and not wanting to strike down the teen he had grown to know over the past months. Aragorn seemed like he wanted nothing more than to take Valo in his arms but restrained himself. It was Gandalf who spoke first, being the most collected of them all.

"Valo, did you consent to being Sauron's Consort? Did you say yes?" He asked, retrieving his pipe from the folds of his cloak.

Valo paused in his mental scathing and stared at the man. He had asked himself the same question not long ago. Had he always been the Dark Lord's Consort? He'd just assumed that he had been created that way, specifically for that purpose. How was he supposed to know if he couldn't remember his beginning? That was the key wasn't it? The answer to all of the questions lay in his origins.

"Well, I don't know…I don't remember anything from that before we came to Middle Earth. I'd always assumed he created me for that purpose…" He admitted, gripping his arm to still his hands from moving anxiously.

He could hear Aragorn whisper "Created?" in horror. He was such a monster…He still hadn't told them the worst of all. What the Dark Lord needed him alive for.

He heard the footsteps coming towards him but was unable to lift his gaze from the ground. Just when he was opening his mouth to tell them that terrible truth, a warm secure pair of arms encircled him. Legolas's earthy smell filled his senses and the curtain of his hair tickled Valo's face. It stole his breath away. Legolas held him in his arms like the last breath of a dying man, as if he were all he had left in the world. He leaned down as soft as a whisper lips pressed into his own with barely a sigh. It lit up his whole being and not even the displeased hiss of the voice in his mind could pull him from the feeling of wholeness he received when Legolas kissed him. In that moment, Valo knew. Legolas loved him. He pulled away slowly, achingly, covering his face in his hands at last. He was so weak.

"Not yet. Don't…Don't do that until you hear it all. There's something else." Everyone straightened in order to listen better and he released a shaking breath, "I didn't know until we were in Caras Galadhon. Lady Galadriel saw in it her Mirror. The real reason he chose me, why he needs me alive. I'm his Key. He needs the Ring to regain his former powers but with me…he can regain his body. Only with me. He must have the two of us or he remains incomplete. Any more I cannot say. I know no more than you…" His voice was filled with bitterness.

When would he be able to have a say over his own life? Aragorn stood, pacing in thought. He seemed distressed by this turn of events.

"It is for the best that you're with us then. We don't know what effect the destruction of the Ring will have on you and if something…happens then it's best you're here rather than halfway across Middle Earth."

Valo winced. He'd forgotten about that tidbit. The destruction of the Ring would destroy Sauron. Would it drag him to death with it? For Middle Earth to be peaceful, for everyone he loved to live happily…it would be worth his death. Gandalf puffed on his pipe, speaking his thoughts aloud seemingly.

"So many questions…Many questions indeed…" He said in a low voice, his eyes staring off into the night thoughtfully.

"And the only one with the answers is the one we seek to destroy." Legolas chimed in, wrapping his hand in Valo's with a small squeeze of comfort.

Gimli stood silently, walking over to the couple to stare Valo down. His muddy colored eyes pierced through the teen's heart though not nearly to the extent that Gandalf's could. He put a heavy hand on the thin shoulder with a nod.

"You always keep our journey interesting, lad."

Valo gave him a bright grin, unable to contain his gratitude.

~ o ~

He was dreaming again. He wasn't sure where he was. There was no scenery like the last dream, nothing. Only black. And then…a ghost of a touch along his collarbone. A breath. He could feel silk on his skin though all he could see was black, as if his eyes were covered with some cloth. There was a movement above him, a form settling above his own. His pulse jumped in fear. What was going on? Who was this? He was dreaming, he knew, so it could only be…

"My pet." Came the sibilant hiss he'd been waiting for.

"Master…"

Hands ran slowly, torturously up his sides, cradling his ribs like they would reach inside and clutch his very core. Stroke his soul to completion. A tongue flicked along his collarbone, sending his heart pumping. 

"Where are you, my precious? Master misses you." The Dark Lord crooned, his hips moving in a way that had Valo arching, "Why did you leave me?"

The teen whimpered, realizing for the first time that he was unable to move his hands. He found himself answering, unable to stop himself. Was he unable to lie in his dreams? If Sauron was in his mind, could he lie? Would it be like lying to himself? But if he couldn't lie to him in his mind, if he could just summon the answer straight from his mind, then why didn't his Master just summon their location from his mind? It was as if something prevented him from doing so, some limitation. Sauron had limitations.

"It was an accident, Master. Please…I fell. The water…"

He didn't receive a response, only a wordless kiss to his shoulder. Where his lips had touched vibrated and tingled with dark power, raising his own darkness in response. It rose to the call of his Master, playing along their skin like steam. It stroked the very insides of his body forcing a cry from his suddenly over sensitive body. 

"Where are you, my love? Come back to me. Come back to me, Valokiloren." He whispered in his ear.

His voice was tantalizing and seductive and Valo almost told him but something stayed his tongue and it wasn't his Master's mouth on his own. He had to protect them…Could he distract his Master until he woke? Could he draw his attention away from the Ring and his whereabouts without falling to darkness himself? It was worth a try. The consequences were too great if he were to fail. He leaned up where he could feel flesh above his own, planting warm, tempting kisses along the skin. His tongue flicked out to taste the power that practically danced along his Master's body. His legs wrapped around a strong waist. He couldn't fight Sauron off. He couldn't attack him or strike him down. But he could do this. He could divert Sauron's attentions…elsewhere. Away from the Fellowship. 

"Master…please, let me touch you. Please…" He plead, arching up into the body above him. 

He could almost feel his Master's smirk and suddenly his hands were free and roving over warm skin, pulling him down for a deep kiss filled with wanting. He couldn't deny that he had desired this. He was an addict, unable to go without a fix of that overwhelming darkness. It taught him how to breath, how to exist. He needed it and he could only get it from one source…His Master. He'd created him after all…He knew when he had caught his complete attention, had succeeded because his Master let out a chuckle.

"My dear little one…you are such a delight." The Dark Lord purred and pulled Valo closer than he had been before. 

~ o ~

Valo looked around the walled town they had just ridden into with a frown marring his brow. Edoras looked like a town fallen into despair. It's occupants wore dreary clothes as if they were all in mourning. What had happened to this once great seat of Man? What had infiltrated their lives so thoroughly that it could throw such a place into torment? Valo had been here once before during his Master's first rise to power. It had once been a shining bustling place, one of the great seats of Middle Earth. He pressed back into Legolas in concern, feeling the elf reach around to hold his waist consolingly. The wind blew across the plain, making the cracks of the horse flags and their own horse hooves the only things to break the silence. It was an ominous scene to say the least. Valo could feel a darkness from inside the Hall, not like his Master's or what rose from Isengard but a stain of sorts. Something noxious leftover from being touched by a great darkness. Had his Master infected the King of Rohan? It had been so long since he had last heard tell or laid eyes on the city that he wasn't even sure who sat on the throne now.


	15. It Will Begin In Rohan

A/N: Yay! Okies, guys sorry it took so long. I'm in the middle of another move, as usual. And then an unexpected vacation and work and…eh. Well you get the idea. Life in general. So good to hear from all of you reviewers! This chapter is dedicated to ceres51892 for just being awesome! :D Hope you guys like this one!

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~~Chapter Fifteen~~ It Will Begin In Rohan

Bealocwealm hafao freone freacan forth onsended An evil death has set forth the noble warrior

Giedd sculon singan gleomenn sorgiende A song shall sing sorrowing mistrels

On Meduselde poet he ma no woere In Meduseld that he is no more

His dryhtne durest and moege deorost To his lord dearest and kinsmen most belover

Bealo… An evil death…

The settlement was surrounded by high timbers all around the city and one could look past and see the snowy peak of Starkhorn across the valley Harrowdale. It was a magnificent sight. The five of them made their way up the stairs of Meduseld, the Golden Hall though the reception they received at the doors was less than enthusiastic about their arrival. Guards met them at the doors to the hall, on edge and looking decidedly unhappy about their situation. The Captain's eyes roved over them all much as Eomer's had, pausing on Valo. He could only imagine what the guard was thinking. He didn't look like he fit in with this group. An Istari, a Ranger, an Elf Archer and a Dwarf Warrior. And then small, insignificant looking Valo. At least he didn't mistake him for a girl this time. His cheeks still burned at the memory. How…humiliating.

"I cannot allow you before Theoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of Grima Wormtongue." The last sentence seemed to pass through the guards lips like something foul and unpleasant as the name he uttered. It seemed that the darkness did not feel the need to extend energy to encompass the Guard. Intriguing.

Indeed did the King feel so threatened by his friends and allies now that he was to be so suspicious of mere travelers? Of course they were far from ordinary travelers but the people of Rohan didn't know that. The feel of his Master's taint pulsed from the inside of the Hall like some thick noxious miasma. The people of Rohan may not know that…but his Master did. Valo dreaded in his heart the day that his Master discovered where he was. What he had been doing and who he was with. His eyes flicked over the rightful heir to Isilidur's throne. The one that could rally the world of Man together to fight against his Master. His Master would be so furious…so disappointed. His companions began handing over their weapons warily. None were entirely pleased and for good reason. The darkness from the inside of the Hall was thick. It had been festering here for some time now. Long enough for it to feel sure of itself.

Valo felt a growing smugness build inside him and Gandalf gave him a discreet wink. Theirs was a weapon that no man could take. As Gandalf had already proven, not even death could steal their magic away. The doors opened and the Captain led them inside. The inside of the Hall was darker, a stark contrast to the bright day outside. Torches around the room gave little light that the shuttered windows could have illuminated. A brush, almost a whisper, of pleasure danced through Valo's mind, nearly making his very steps falter. It was a dark emotion that he didn't understand. An emotion that was not his own. It sent a thrill of fear through his heart. What was it? Was it his Master or the voice inside his mind? Was someone else seeing through his eyes? Experiencing what he saw through him? It was gone as soon as it had arrived. A wisp of smoke on the wind. Valo had almost doubted it's existence if not for the voice in his mind sitting up and taking notice of it as well. He could feel the presence's recognition of it even if he didn't recognize it himself.

'Fear not. It is no danger to you. Leave it to me and pay attention to what's happening around you.'

Valo immediately turned back to the King. What an embarrassing way to die. Surrounded by warriors too. The voice was right. It would do no one any good for him to get skewered now because he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. It had never failed him before after all. No matter what, the voice had never lied to him.

"The courtesy of your hall has somewhat lessened as of late, Theoden King." Gandalf spoke loud and long.

Valo could not make out the King's response through his wariness of the guards starting to surround them on all sides. They were watching and waiting, their grips on their weapons secure as if they expected a fight to the death. Perhaps they did. He could only tell that the King's words were halting and liken to the sound of dried crinkling leaves at the peak of fall. Just barely holding onto their mother tree. The King's advisor, the one whom he could only assume was this Grima Wormtongue that the Captain had spoken of, stood to proclaim his own greeting. It was just as warm as the guard's own. Warm as the peaks of Starkhorn, that is.

"Late is the hour in which this conjuror chooses to appear! Lots spell, I name him. Ill news is an ill guest." The man hissed, approaching them as if he held some importance to the world.

Valo sneered at him, the dislike rising in him like a tide. The Advisor's eyes alighted on him and the man's footsteps halted completely. He took a short step backwards, his eyes, black as oil spills, widening with fear and awe. Aragorn looked at Valo for a moment, his question over Wormtongue's reaction clear in his kind eyes. Gandalf began to approach the King, his staff out and at the ready. The others launched into battle with the guards. No one noticed the small figure backing a shaking man into a dark corner alone. No one noticed how his shadow morphed behind him on the floor like some living thing, now the image of some great terrifying beast than a teenager. It morphed to resemble the shadow of some large serpentine, winged monster. When Valo spoke, his voice was clipped with a hiss as if he had swallowed a snake. Wormtongue stumbled to the floor in his fear, trying to escape the adolescent approaching him slowly. Valo fed off of his fear like a heady tonic. Thrilling, making the blood warm and stir like liquor.

"My Lord, p-please! Let me be of some use to you! Do not send me to the Pit!" His voice stammered and whimpered in the face of the boy-creature before him.

Valo's eyes blazed orange and for a few precious moments he knew nothing as the voice within him took hold. He sneered down at the crouched, shaking figure on the floor. Surely Wormtongue would piss himself in terror at any second. It was a sight he did not care to see as entertaining as the man's fear was. Could a person die of terror? It was an intriguing thought. He glanced back at the old Wizard exorcising Saruman's influence from the King. Such a waste of effort. The Istari would have to be punished for losing his grip on Rohan. His attentions turned back to the stuttering mess at his feet.

"Go to Isenguard. Leave now and remain unseen. Go into the service of the Wizard there. Now before I decide to let Theoden kill you instead, you worthless maggot." He hissed out, disgust and power lacing his voice.

Wormtongue wasted no time at all. He scurried through a side door like the rat he was. No doubt he had taken the high road out of Rohan as quickly as his traitorous legs could carry him. He reminded him of another, the similarities to the spineless worm too close for his tolerance. Valo took a breath and winced. As he opened his eyes the orange faded away and he returned to his right mind. His shadow fell back to normal behind him, it's owner none the wiser to it's change. He frowned, looking around quickly. Why was he in the corner? He must have come here for safety, away from the battle. Hadn't his inner voice just told him it was no use getting skewered? He was weaponless afterall and his magic unreliable on most days. The Fellowship had handled it rather well. With an inward grin, he returned to Aragorn's side just as the King was shaking off Saruman's influence with a groan. The air within Meduseld slowly returned to normal, the air easier to breath and somehow warmer within the Hall.

~`o`~

Valo was sent into a room to sleep rather than stay up and bare witness to the funeral of the only heir to Rohan's throne. Even still as he strayed into sleep, Valo could hear the funeral song that Eowen sand out to the heavens. He tried to let his sadness for the King's son outweigh the fear of sleeping but as darkness sucked at his conscience, his Master called for his submission.

The room was dark and surrounded with candlelight. Sconces burned at the edges of the stone room. He was standing next to a large throne, stretching up tall enough to touch the tall ceiling. Valo knew where he was in an instant. How many times had he walked this very room while his Master held court with his minions and allies? He was in the throne room of the Black Fortress. Barad-dur. It was where he had lived for Ages before he had been sent after his Master's first fall to Minas Morgul. What he didn't know was why he was not in his Master's bed like he had been every other time he had come into these visions. A dark figure, cloaked in black and metal armor stood across from him, watching his presence calmly. It was the image of his Master before Isilidur. The image he remembered of him before the last time he had been sent to sleep. 

"You have done well, my pet. Sending the worm to my puppet instead of letting him go to waste. It pleases me greatly to know that I can count on you to carry out my will."

Valo could feel his Master's pleasure with him in his body, causing a low shiver to race through him. A warmth that he seldom felt now filled him and he purred. Valo slumped bonelessly against the side of the throne as the embodiment of his Master approached him. 

"Master…will you…will you be whole again soon? Will I see you again soon?" Valo stammered softly, watching his Master sit down in the throne and take him into his arms like he were a child. 

He felt more than heard the dark chuckle in his soul. It was moments like that that reinforced his belief that his Master created him. How else could he touch the very innermost part of him with no regard to space or time or physical boundary? 

"Oh my little Consort…Yes, I am close now. I get closer with every small victory. Very soon now I will have another victory. And then another. It won't be long now…" He admitted, stroking the soft dark hair of the child he held.

Valo frowned. Two more victories? Soon?

"Another, Master?"

He could hear the dark glee, the amusement in the Dark Lord's voice. It was clear that he was self-assured. Some memory told Valo that he ha always been this way. That at one time there was only one man that his Master feared… 

"Oh yes, my pet. Soon my puppet will triumph over Rohan and then over Gondor. It is already beginning. Soon I will hold you while we stand at the forefront of the world in my image. A new dawn."

Valo trembled slightly at the thought. Rohan and then Gondor. His Master had given him a small peak into his plans and the prospect terrified him. Once those two strongholds gave way the there would be no recovering from it. Mordor's forces would spill into Middle Earth and the world of Men would fall. Once those two great lands fell, there would be no stemming the slaughter. As his Master held him that night, Valo could not stop the trembling in his mind and heart. The end approached.


	16. Isenguard Is Unleashed

A/n: Hello! Okay, I'm going to answer a few questions here since I know a lot happened in the last chapter! And for anyone who doesn't know, the poem at the top of the last chapter was the funeral song that Eowen sang for her cousin Theodred at his funeral (I'm not sure if this part was included in the original movie or not). And I apologize profusely for how late this is! I hit abit of a slump lately. ^^;;;

1) The Shadow: The shadow is more of an embodiment of Saurons growing hold on Valo as the story progresses, the rising darkness inside him. It isn't essential to the plot but it will make another appearance. J

2) How much of Harry is left in Valo?: Well you'll just have to wait and see! And we will be seeing soon enough. :D

Thanks a million to excentrykemuse and mabidiso for great and thorough reviews and questions!

Disclaimer: Nope.

Chapter Sixteen~~~~ Isenguard Is Unleashed

Valo lay on the down feather bed in the rooms that King Theoden had so graciously given him, feeling a weariness in his soul. He was getting tired. Perhaps it was the cleansing that Meduseld had undergone. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep over the course of their journey. Or perhaps it was something else…something deeper that he was too afraid to question too much. A fatigue of the heart and mind. Legolas walked over quietly, his elf feet silent on the stone floors. Valo looked up at him wistfully, longing for him even though in his heart he felt guilty about his love for the Mirkwood Prince. He was a betrayer…His Master knew that he was in Rohan now. He expected him to make his way towards the Black Gate with all haste. Little did he know that, despite what Valo wanted, that was probably where the Fellowship would lead him before the end. Legolas gave him a tender smile, filled with such affection that it nearly broke his heart to see.

"I love when you look at me like that." His beloved whispered, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

He always kissed him on that peculiar scar on his head. It was endearing. It never failed to bring a smile to the teen's face, no matter his thoughts.

"Like what?" Valo asked, being drawn into the baby blue eyes that he adored.

"Like I'm the only thing you see. Like I'm your whole world."

Legolas slid down to sit on the bed at his side, taking the small figure into his arms. He stroked Valo's unbound hair, only smiling with the brightness of a star when Valo whispered that he was the only thing he saw. He couldn't say that he was his whole world. He wished he could but with his Master's image burned into his mind, he couldn't bring himself to lie to the man he loved in that way. It would only hurt Legolas in the end. The elf leaned back and gathered his dark hair up, braiding it into his customary braid. Valo purred. He loved when Legolas played with his hair. When he braided it for him. It was such an…intimate thing. Like holding hands or those secret smiles they shared when they were alone. It was just intimate, more so than any sexual act could ever be.

"The King is moving everyone out to Helm's Deep in the morning. Are you prepared?"

Valo nodded, wincing alittle at the thought. He did not want to go to Helm's Deep. The very thought frightened him. And the realization that a large battle would be upon them within days sent fear acing through him. Fear for his friends and fear for Legolas. The thought that one or more of them could be hurt or even killed, kept him up at night despite Legolas's pleads to come back to bed. It made his magic react on it's own, snapping out at things with the least amount of provocation. As time passed, his magic seemed to react with his emotions. On one hand, he was glad that it was maturing and it was at his disposal more but on the other hand…it was more inconvenient than anything.

The next morning found Valo uncertain and twitchy. Aragorn had crafted a sort of strap out of some spare leather so he could carry his flying branch across his back instead of taking up his hands. He had resolved to try not to use it in front of the citizens of Rohan though. Something about the way some of them watched him made him unsettled. Uneasy. Like they thought he was some sort of strange thing. A freak. Aragorn had set him up on the horse King Theoden had allowed him to use, Brego, and the Ranger walked along in front. Legolas ran ahead to keep watch with the Guard Captain, Hama, and another guard. Gimli was chatting up Eowen just ahead of him. Valo got the strange feeling that the dwarf was making an attempt to flirt. It was a shame that the King's neice couldn't keep her eyes off of Aragorn. As his eyes alighted on this interaction, he couldn't help but resent the woman. He had heard that Arwen was sailing to Valinor but Aragorn was still as devoted to her as any life mate could be. Eowen had no right to look at him in wanting! He was Arwen's beloved, not hers! His magic began to rise out of his control, reacting to his anger at her wandering eyes. Legolas was suddenly at his side, running a calming hand over his knee. The magic seemed to shrink back inside of his body at that calm, loving touch.

He gave Legolas a half hearted smile, trying to pretend as if he weren't about to do something naughty to the smiling girl up ahead. He was a monster…about to do something cruel to an unsuspecting woman just because she was batting her stupid eyelashes at his keeper. Wretched muggle. Wait…where had that come from? What was a muggle? He'd heard that world before, had used it before. But where? Valo decided to do something very unorthodox. He turned inside his mind and asked the voice there. He had never outright acknowledged the voice, never spoken to it for himself. It felt odd.

'What is a muggle?' He asked curiously.

The voice gave a dark chuckle, a feeling of smug satisfaction coming from it. The feeling of something uncoiling inside his being caused shudders to wrack his small frame. It felt like something was stretching out inside him.

'They are non-magical people. The scum of the earth. The so called normal people. It's all a load of rot. We are the normal ones. They are lesser than us. Never forget that, Valo.'

He couldn't exactly agree but he didn't say anything more on it. Aragorn was a muggle, if he went by the voice's claim, and he was certainly not less than Valo. The teen shrugged it off, his attention coming alive when he heard a far off cry and Aragorn running up to gather Brego.

"Wargs! We're under attack!" Immediately the civilians began to cry out in fear. Aragorn came to him quickly, his eyes alive with the prospect of battle, "Valo, Fly up and attack from the air. Do NOT come down from there. You'll be safe where they can't reach you."

Valo's heart sped. Aragorn was giving him the opportunity to fight back. It took only the time it took to get him into the air to realize just how important this was. If even one Orc escaped…they would take the sighting of him with the enemy back to his Master. He didn't relish seeing how well his Master could torture him from afar. He had to make sure none escaped.

His magic came to his call easily, responding to his fear and anxiety. It arched up to his call, almost as if it were some warm, pleased feline rubbing against his skin. Against his insides.

"All riders to the head of the column!" The King shouted his order, the sound resonating along the plain.

Already, from his vantage point in the air, Valo could see Wargs spilling over the plain like some malicious disease. His mind was assaulted with a barrage of those strange foreign words that focused his magic better than ever.

'Impedimenta, Sectumsempra, Expelliarmus, Confundus, Conjunctivus, Immobulus, Flipendo, Petrificus Totalus, Reducto, Avada Kedavra'.

Now which ones to use. He sets his sights on the Wargs that were closest to the Fellowship. Selfish, he knew but…he couldn't go on without them.

"Sectumsempra! Immobulus!" A Warg burst into a bloody spray and another fell like a rock, only to fall pray to Gimli's ax.

A Warg had escaped the battle and was headed with purpose towards the fleeing townspeople. The screams of the women and children were deafening. He shot the Warg down with a quick Sectumsempra. From above, he shot spell after spell at the Warg's that he could see. At some point, he had lost sight of Aragorn during the battle but he shook it off, despite the growing worry in his belly. Aragorn was a fully trained warrior. He was probably fighting off behind a large rock where he couldn't see. Gimli was buried beneath two Warg corpses, much to his amusement. It sounded like good blackmail material, Valo thought with a mischievous smirk. He levitated the bodies off of the dwarf throwing the grumbling Gimli a bright wave. Oh yea. He was never gonna let him live this down. There would be an end to the "girl" remarks he got from the dwarf. They were even now. Legolas gave the signal for him to come down from the safety of the skies once the last Orc had been destroyed. The elf took him into his arms lovingly, giving him a kiss filled with relief. Valo couldn't help checking his beloved over for hurts, much to Legolas's amusement. Gimli was there, talking to Theoden. Where was Aragorn? Where was his keeper? That sense of dread began to grow again.

"Legolas…where is Aragorn?"

The Mirkwood Prince frowned and they began the search for the missing Ranger. He was not among the fallen. It was after only a few moments that Valo came upon the half dead Orc, chuckling to itself by the cliffs. He went to his knees at it's side and the thing immediately began to choke up at the sight of him. He recognized him even though Valo did not know this Orc. They all looked the same to him.

"Where is the Ranger, swine?" He hissed, his more aggressive nature coming out to play.

The voice in his mind was encouraging him to terrify the creature. The thing choked on it's own blood as Legolas, Gomli and King Theoden joined him at his side.

"He went over the cliff…Dragged down by a Warg, my lord." He gasped, his face clearly showing how terrified he was of the teen at his side.

Valo's eyes widened, horror filling his entire being as he walked numbly over to the cliff. Legolas seized the thing, demanding the truth but the Orc only to have the creature die in his grip. Valo stared into the Anduin, pleading to see his keeper safe on a ledge or some miracle keeping him from the water rushing by. Legolas joined him on the cliff, unable to believe his friend had fallen. Valo's tears joined the rushing river, his heart singing a lament to his dearest friend.


	17. Lost, Found, Discovered

A/N: Okie doke, sorry it's been taking so long, guys! I been looking for a job recently and then found out I'm allergic to my hair dye- after I dyed my hair. Can anyone say chemical burns? Well, nonetheless, here's another great chapter! I'm not entirely sure if I'll start the battle in this chapter or the next one. I do have to be honest, battle scenes are not my forte- at all. So if there's anyone who is good at writing them and wants to help me out with the next chapter, just send me a PM or an email. Much appreciated!

Disclaimer: Nope!

Questions!

1\. OK, now, that voice inside Valodefinitely seems to be Voldemort, but if it's inside him, thenSauron/Voldemort should know where Valo is. So, does that make the voice thehorcrux, a thing disconnected from Voldemort, even though it is part of him? -A. Yes, the voice inside Valo IS disconnected from Sauron as a whole, so while he may know that he is at Meduseld, he expects him to immediately travel straight to Mordor. He does not yet know that Valo is with the Fellowship. J

Valo real, or is he more of a wraith-identity projection? -A. That's for you to find out! ;)

3\. Was it Sauron who ordered Wormtongue away in Meduseld? -A. You'll find out who it was, but it wasn't Sauron. ;3

~~Chapter Seventeen~~ Lost, Found, Discovered

In the gathering dark, the will of the Ring grows strong. 

Valo clung to Legolas, unable to keep back the dam of tears. Aragorn was gone…What would he say to Lady Arwen…? Aragorn was all that was keeping her faith in their mission. He was all that was keeping her here. Aragorn had protected him, even cared for him. What was he going to do now that he was gone? Who was going to rally the peoples of Middle Earth now that Isilidur's heir had fallen? Legolas eased him down from the horse, well aware of the bone deep fatigue that his magic use had forced on his beloved. Valo only hoped that he would be recovered in time for the battle to come. His whole being raged for revenge for his fallen comrade. He wanted the Orcs to pay for what he had lost. Perhaps, in his heart of hearts, a place too dark to bare analysis, he wanted his Master to suffer for his loss as well. The civilians sent up prayers of thanks and cheers for their imagined safety throughout the Keep. Valo couldn't help but to resent them for being unaffected by his loss.

~ o ~

Théoden was walking around the fortress, issuing instructions on where various fighters and archers should be placed. Valo was watching from his position on a wall above, his heart heavy. Maybe he deserved to be destroyed along with the Urukhai. He was just as much of a monster as they were. People around him had the tendency to keep dying. First Boromir and Gandalf and now…Aragorn. Would Legolas be next? He should have been walking the fort, helping to fortify the defenses but he had been "asked" by Lord Théoden to sit and recover his strength before the battle. He was very tired from his magic expenditure but something just didn't sit well with him about the King's orders. The way the man's eyes had reflected back at him when he'd given the order unnerved and concerned the teen. What was Théoden thinking? Did…Did the King know? Did he know that he was somehow involved in the attack from Mordor, in the invasion of Middle Earth? He would need all of the powers of the Valar to help him if the Man suspected him. Théoden had just lost his son and only heir to the onslaught from the Dark Lord's forces, after all. And within his reach now…was the power to destroy something that Sauron cared about. His Consort, his Key. Valokiloren. He shuddered with the thought. Surely Valor couldn't know anything? None of the Fellowship would have revealed his existence, his true purpose to the grieving King. They all knew what was at stake. Was the King under the sway of his Master once more? Was that how he knew? Was he allied with the dark? Valo watched him whispering with Legolas below, assessing the Man's disposition. Surely the man wouldn't have been driven to assist the same people who killed his son?

Théoden looked up to catch his eye and a flash of rage and hate that did not belong to Valo filled his body. The foreign feeling took him so by surprise that he could only stare in horror when he noticed that his hand was glowing a terrifying deadly green color, familiar yet terrifying words on the tip of his tongue. He smothered the magic, terror overtaking him. For a long frantic moment he did not have control of his Fight or Flight responses and his hand was already on his flying branch when he saw the King and Legolas approaching. His beloved's eyes were filled with concern and that grief that had yet to be unleashed. He pitied whatever enemy faced that maelstrom.

"Valo, are you well?" The Mirkwood Prince asked but he got no response.

Valo tried to gather himself before he looked to the King, careful not to meet his eyes this time. Théoden was staring down at him with an expression that was unreadable from his position.

"Come young wizard. We have much to discuss before this battle begins." He said, his voice calm but serious.

Something crept beneath the surface of his voice that frightened Valo. Something revealing. Against his better judgment, Valo followed them into the war room where Gimli already waited.

The soldiers of Helm's Deep reeked of despair and fear. Valo's throat clenched tight. They would not win this battle. Nonetheless, they were not in such despair that they weren't wary of his presence. Many spared him odd sideways glances as they passed with King Theoden. The chambers the man led them to were as stone as the rest of the Keep but tapestries decorated the sparse walls here. This was the chamber of a King, after all. Gimli sat smoking his pipe, his expression pensive and closed. He watched Theoden as closely as Valo himself did. He gestured for Valo to take a seat at the nearby table. Valo obeyed. Legolas did not. He stood at his beloved's side like a stone. Hard and vigilant. Emerald eyes fell in despair to the map strewn table top, wishing he could disappear like he had with Frodo what seemed like an Age ago.

"It has come to my attention…that you are not all you pretend to be, Master Valo." Theoden's voice was like a whip cracking through dry winter air, "Tell me. Why do the orcs call you lord and not their enemy?"

So he had heard the Orc's last words. Valo looked up in time to see Legolas's eyes narrow as the elf prince took a small step in front of Valo as if to shield him from the King's questionings. It was a good idea for once Theoden presented himself as a possible threat that darkness inside the small wizard began to stir. Perhaps it was not the smartest idea then when he gestured Legolas back and stood to meet the King's accusations head on, himself. He made some considerable effort to hold that wave of hate down inside him whenever he looked at Theoden. It was not his emotion, he had no reason to hate the King.

"It is true, I have a connection to the Dark Lord but I have come to assist against him in this war. Sauron was my master and I, his Consort, but…it isn't with him that my heart belongs." Valo turned to give Legolas a heart felt, heavy look at his side, "I cannot erase my past, King Theoden, in fact much of it I can't even remember, but I can fight for a better future for Men, even if I must meet my end for the war to be won. Gandalf has cleared me, if you are uneasy about my presence. Aragorn…also had confidence in me. They both believed my intentions to be pure and sincere." He said softly, his heart jerking with a deep ache at the mention of the missing Ranger.

King Theoden mulled his words over for a long few moments. His blue eyes were filled with his pensive thoughts. The Man took a step closer to the teen and the stiff Legolas. Valo felt his beloved touch a hand to his own, trying to reassure him despite his own uncertainty.

" We shall see to your intentions then, young wizard, but make no mistake. If I believe you to be a threat to my people or to this war, then I will see the problem taken care of myself." Theoden's voice was low and gave way to his dangerous thoughts.

Valo gave him a sincere nod. If he became a danger to those he loved…then he dearly hoped that Theoden would keep his word. He would rather be dead than cause his loved ones pain. The doors to the King's chamber burst open with a bang that echoed throughout the large room. In the dim dorrway, illuminated by a window in the back hallway was an apparition that he had feared he would never see again. Valo could not stop himself from running into the bedraggled, injured Ranger's arms, desperate to reassure himself that Aragorn was indeed alive and here with them. He needed to know that he hadn't suddenly fallen into a dream. The Man's arms were warm when they wrapped around him however and a small chuckled echoed deep in the chest he found himself against. Hazel-brown eyes smiled down at him filled with amusement and softness.

"I am well, Valo. Rest easy and tell me what has happened." Aragorn demanded, turning to the suddenly joyful Fellowship and the pleased though still thoughtful King.

~ o ~

Valo was helping Eowen tend to the wounded when Legolas found him once more. Aragorn was speaking to the King about the force he had seen from Isengard on his journey to the Keep. He stood nearby, watching Valo heal with that odd power he had. He was healing a woman who scurried away from him as soon as he had cured her injury. Legolas frowned. Valo was only trying to do some good in the world, for these people. And yet he was rejected at every turn by those he tried to protect. A man jerked away from the small teen's touch with a venomous hiss of fear and anger. He yelled that he would rather suffer than take help from any "Morgul scum", loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear. The man rushed off elsewhere as Legolas stepped forward to make sure that Valo was alright. His little love excused himself from the whispers and the looks of the people of Rohan. He walked away with Legolas trailing frustrated behind him.

"How can you stay so kind and courteous to them when they treat you so cruelly?" The Mirkwood prince asked once they were as alone as they could get in the full fortress.

Valo sighed, stopping his walk to look back at the man he loved. His eyes were sad and yet amused as if he were being asked a simple question by a small child.

"They are scared and uncertain. They have just lost their homes, many their ways of life. Just because they don't understand something and fear it does not make them bad people. I could never be angry with someone for despairing."

Legolas's lips pursed and he placed his hands on the small, almost frail shoulders. He ran his thumb over a soft, pale cheek tracing the flesh with unwavering adoration.

"Stay in the caves, Valo…Stay with the towns people where I know you'll be safe." He plead suddenly, his voice no more than a whisper.

The teen in his arms stared at him for a long moment in surprise and astonishment. It only took another moment of processing before Valo stepped out of his grip, his face set in a frown.

"What? No! Legolas, this is my fight too and I'm going to see it through." He insisted, crossing his arms defensively and staring at his mate hard as if daring him to tell him otherwise.

Legolas, he must have realized, was just as stubborn as he was.

"Come now. Let the others fight this battle and stay where it's safe. Don't make me worry about you during this."

"I am not a child! You will not send me away like one!" Valo hissed, his words biting off with a peculiar snakelike sound that only deepened the elf's frown.

"Please just go to the caves, Valo! Listen to me for just this once! Why is it so hard for you to just do as I ask this one time?"

Emerald eyes flashed in anger as a familiar Elvish horn blew in the front of the Keep. Darkness had already descended as well as a light rain. The battle was approaching and both of them could feel it in their very beings. Legolas's desperation for Valo to remain out of the battle's eye only grew with the approaching army of Uruk's.

"So I'm still a child but I'm old enough to be your mate, is that it? I'm older than you!"

The horn blew once more and a cold dread took hold in the Mirkwood Prince, such a fear that he did something perhaps not so conducive to a long and happy life where his mate was concerned. He pulled Valo into a heartfelt embrace tightly, whispering a quick apology before he struck quickly that place on the teen's neck that had Valo slumping in his arms in unconciousness. He directed a guard to quickly deposit his beloved carefully and safely in the caves with the women and the children. Valo would be most displeased when he woke in a few moments but having him safe would be worth his anger.


	18. The Days Have Gone Down In The West

A/N: Alrightie guys, so sorry I hit a bit of a slump. However, I am still updating this story so have no fear J. In apology for all of your long waits and diligent patience, here is the next chapter: The Battle At Helm's Deep! :D

Disclaimer: You are more off your rocker than I thought. More shock treatment!

~~Chapter Eighteen~~~ The Days Have Gone Down In The West

Legolas stood at the top of the Keep, looking down into the approaching Dark Army. His insides shuddered in revulsion at the sight. They were an abomination on this Middle Earth, a creation made of hate and malice. Something twisted and corrupted to the Dark Lord's fancy. His hand clenched as a sly voice in his mind whispered to him.

But are they much more different than Valo? Are they really so much different? He was a creation of Sauron's as well, his very existence orchestrated from the beginning. A tool to bring the Dark Lord back to power…

His hand tightened on his arrow and he cast a sideways look at Haldir who stood not far off with the archers from Rivendale and Caras Galadhon. The Elvish General had been repulsed by Valo's very being, much like Legolas himself was when faced with the rabble of Orcs ahead. In truth…was Valo not much worst than the Orcs? At least the Orcs were upfront about their purpose. Valo's own had been so hidden beneath deceit and darkness that not even the poor young wizard himself knew his purpose. Was there more to him than just being the Dark Lord's consort? Was there more than just being the Key to Sauron's resurrection? If so…what could be so terrible that it was worst than what he had already discovered? The Orc army stopped before the Keep wall, various roars of threat echoing from the black mass. Now was not the time to think of these things. Even as the first arrow split the air, embedding itself into the soft exposed flesh of one of the enemy horde, he couldn't stop thinking of Valo and what his existence could really mean for the success of their mission.

~ o ~

The world was a moving blurry mass. He blinked his eyes open slowly, trying to regain some sense of himself through the fog of unconsciousness. What had happened…? All he could remember was the sound of the Elf horn and then Legolas's tight desperate embrace…Valo shot up from the course pallet he'd been laid in, everything coming into reality at once. The sobbing women and anxious elderly around him. The dank caves. The sounds of battle raging above. The sharp sting of hurt and betrayal. He let out a hissed swear in that strange hissing tone that had several of the civilians nearby backing up, clutching their children warily. He was too upset by his beloved's duplicity to let mere superstitious townsfolk bother him now. There were two guards posted near the lone door to the rest of the Keep. His hurt was a stinging pain in his chest but even worst than that was the fear. The fear that this time it would be Legolas to fall in battle and unlike Gandalf and Aragorn, this time he would not be getting back up.

He's going to die anyways. Whether it be in battle or at the hand of your Master. Would it not be much kinder to let him fall with dignity as a warrior? If your Master did not kill him right out imagine what he could do to an unsuspecting Elf. After all, you remember how the Orcs came to be…You were there.

No! Shut up! Valo shook his head, fighting back the frightened furious tears that began seeping into his view. Sauron couldn't get ahold of Legolas! He didn't even know about the two of them!

But he will. He always knows. After all he is-

Panic gripped his soul and he slammed his fist into the floor in an attempt to silence whatever it was that the voice was about to say. Something told him that he was not meant to know that yet. That his Master did not want him to know whatever it was just yet…Whatever that key piece of information was held Legolas and the whole Fellowship's lives in the balance. Pain spiked up his wrist as his hand came away from the floor bloody. He had to help them. He couldn't leave them out there alone to die! Valo's eyes darted around, searching frantically for some way to get to his friends, any way! All he found was that one barred door that kept him from his beloved.

Your Master will discover your treachery and when he does, Legolas will beg for death before the end.

Valo shoved the voice away furiously, his panic getting the better of him as he ran to the door.

"Legolas! Legolas, don't do this!" He cried, trying to shove off the two guards' sudden grips on his arms.

Without warning, an explosion rocked the very foundations of the Keep. The women and children were sent screaming, scurrying as much as they could to the back of the caverns while the din above only increased in volume. There was a woman nearby sobbing on her knees, praying to be anywhere else but here. Her plea struck something deep inside him. A faraway memory from a different time and place.

'We're nearly there...I can Apparate us both back...don't worry...''I am not worried, Harry'... 'I am with you.'

Apparate. Apparate. Apparate. Valo's eyes widened and his magic seemed to explode from inside him, bursting through his body like the waters of the Anduin that took him into Lady Arwen's arms so long ago.

"Apparate." He whispered and with a spinning sensation that made him halfway reconsider his actions, he was suddenly smack in the middle of the battle above.

It was chaos. He had been deposited on the top of one of the high walls and from his place, he could see the Uruks swarming into the great hole in the Deeping Wall. And down in the center of the space was Aragorn and Gimli. The two were fighting off orcs with all they had. He could see Legolas down below, joining the two as they fought. He had to help them. Valo spotted a fallen Elf's swords and seized them without delay, allowing the training that he could no longer remember overcome his senses. He knew how to fight. Perhaps he didn't know how he knew but he did. In that instant he began making his way down the stairs towards his comrades, slicing into any enemy he found along the way. His swords cut into orc flesh with the ease of a blade through hot wax. Every few moments, he would use the magic he had leftover from his apparition to send a curse flying into a group of Uruk-Hai nearby. He set the remaining ladders ablaze before he jumped down into the pit made by the explosion. King Theoden shouted something to Aragorn before his face disappeared behind the board that reinforced the main gate. The Ranger did not waste any time. He was a true commander.

"Nan barad! Nan barad! Pull back to the Keep! Haldir! Nan barad!" He ordered and began making his way back.

Both at once, Legolas and Valo both grabbed the still spitting mad and excited Gimli, pulling the Dwarf away from the battle ahead. It took until they had fallen back that either of them realized who had joined their midst. Legolas's eyes alighted on him and his blood stained figure and the Mirkwood prince's eyes widened.

"Valo!" He yelled furiously, already notching another arrow into his bow.

Gimli grinned viciously, patting him on the back.

"Eh laddie! You escaped after all!" He laughed.

Valo ignored him in favor of turning blazing angry eyes on his beloved. He would give Legolas a piece of his mind after this battle was over.

"Don't you even start with me, Legolas! You hid me away like I was a child and just expect me to take it? Well you have another thing coming!" He hissed and threw a blade to stick in the forehead of an orc that had slipped through their defenses.

Gamling carried the wounded King off into a side chamber as Aragorn and Gimli slipped off through a door. Valo and Legolas tensely turned back to the battle at hand. The teen felt that calling slowly rising inside him, whispering for bloodshed. Urging him to test out his hidden skills on the battlefield. It demanded that he shed blood, whose it did not care. When the first Uruk came through the door, Valo's eyes were tinged with red and he was already at the ready, his swords twirling in his hands eagerly.

He and Legolas fought alongside Men and Elves alike, time slipping away in the heat of the battle. Despite his distaste for the bloodshed and the carnage, Valo felt a deep surge of lust at the sight of so much destruction. It made his very blood sing within his veins, speeding and tugging him towards more enemies than before. Before long, he was running on instinct alone, his very being seemingly programmed to do such damage. Every sound seeming to fade in the background, over powered by the blood rushing in his ears, the fog on his mind. His sword bit into an exposed throat before it came to a halt, clashing against an all too familiar curved blade. His eyes clashed with wide silver. Valo could hear in some vague distance, someone calling his name. Far off as it was, the familiarity of it seeped through the blood haze surrounding his mind and he frowned, starting to let his surrounding come back to him. He was standing near what had been the gate of the Keep's inner sanctum, now a pile of rubble and dead orcs. His sword was in hand, pressed dangerously against another.

"Valo?" Legolas whispered, his own face creased in a frown, a streak of blood on the side of his cheek from some fallen enemy.

Legolas. He had attacked Legolas. He could have killed him! The Mirkwood Prince didn't seem to register his inner turmoil because he tugged him onto a steed that had been brought up by a handler. He pulled Valo up behind him and began to ride out with the King and Aragorn to meet the horde head on. A loud horn was sounding through Helm's Deep seemingly to shake the very stones beneath their feet.

"Fell deeds, awake. Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red dawn. Forth Eorlingas!" Thoeden cried and together they road out into the dawn.

Valo tried to put the fear in the back of his mind but even in the midst of battle, he could feel his efforts failing. Exhaustion, guilt and fear weighed him down heavily. What was happening to him…? A bright light shone on the horizon over the next hill, a light surrounding a figure on a horse.

"Gandalf." He heard Aragorn say with a relief that echoed in his own heart.

Behind the Istari rode the great mass that was the Rohirrim. 1000 good men and chargers rode down the side of the mountain, charging the remaining horde with everything they had. The Uruks never knew what was coming at them. They knew that they were overtaken, faced with enemies on every side. Those that were not immediately began fleeing into the imagined safety of the trees of Fangorn, not seeing the trees themselves shifting angrily, waiting for their prey to approach. The moment the last Uruk-Hai disappeared into the brush, there was the sound of a great rustling and crunching and the armies of Isengard were no more.

The soldiers headed back inside to bury their dead and pile the Uruk bodies. Legolas lifted Valo down from the steed, his hand lingering warmly over the Morgul teen's cheek. They found Gimli sitting upon a dead Uruk as if it were the very throne of Moria, his pipe in his mouth happily.

"Final count. Fourty two." The Mirkwood Prince said in a smug tone, stroking his bow affectionately.

Valo could see the smirk in the dwarf's eye.

"Forty-two? That's not bad for a pointy-eared Elvish princeling. I myself am sitting pretty on forty-three." He said with an offhanded air that left Valo snorting.

Legolas frowned before knotching a bow and releasing it into the body of the Uruk chair Gimli had claimed. The teen rolled his eyes at the two's antics, looking around suddenly feeling very anxious.

"He was already dead."

"He twitched."

"He was twitching because he's got my ax embedded in his nervous system!"

Valo walked across the ground littered with stones and bodies to where Aragorn and Gandalf were speaking with the King. His eyes flicked to Theoden, immediately finding the source of his anxiety. Something about the King sent warning bells through him for no reason at all, put him on the defensive. The King's eyes found his figure at Aragorn's side quickly.

"You fight like a true warrior, Little Wizard. You should be proud of such a skill on the battle field. You fight as one of our own." The man said in an odd display of pride and gratitude.

Aragorn laid a hand on Valo's shoulder, his eyes smiling in pride. The teen found himself smiling sheepishly back, ducking his head in embarrassment and inwardly, guilt. They did not know what had almost happened inside the Keep. They did not know that he had almost killed his own beloved for a weak loss of control. Legolas and Gimli found them and they all climbed the hill, staring out at the firey explosions in Mordor. Valo felt the harsh tug on his soul, urging him to flee these Men and make his way back home where he belonged. He tried his hardest to ignore the call, clutching Legolas and Aragorn's hands with all that he was. Valo's greatest fear was that one day he would not be able to resist and he would cut down anyone and anything to get back.

"Sauron's wrath will be terrible, his retribution swift. The battle of Helm's Deep is over. The battle for Middle-Earth is about to begin. All our hopes now lie with two little Hobbits…somewhere in the wilderness." Gandalf said, his voice strong and solid.


	19. The World is Changing…

A/N: I AM SO SORRY! I know this took a freakishly long time to get out but I've been so swamped with homework these past few weeks that I've barely just begun to catch up when they dump more work on me. I managed to find an hour to type out this chapter when I didn't have any work (more from lack of knowing how to do It than anything). So enjoy and I will try to be more diligent about fitting everything in from now on.

Disclaimer: Back off! I have coffee! Make no sudden movements!

~~~Chapter 19~~~ The World is Changing…

His world was changing. Shifting. The days were growing dark on the horizon of his mind. It had began at Rohan in Meduseld Hall. The battle for Helm's Deep was over but the darkness of Mordor was spreading, stretching out across teh land like a hand reaching out a black contagion over Middle Earth. They approached Isengard from the West, meeting up with the blessedly unharmed Peregrin and Merry. Valo was unable to celebrate their safety nor their apparent victory, though. His mind was assaulted by the darkness oozing from Orthanc. He could feel it like cold nimble fingers stroking his every nerve ending. An untamable miasma. Memories of his time with his Master between Sleep flashed occasionally through his mind interspersed with those strangely familiar half-dreams. Fragments, snatches of voices and images that danced like a spider's thread in the sun. He was nestled in Gandalf's arms on the back of Shadowfax, the wizard seemingly all too aware of his internal battle. Every so often he would place a warm hand on Valo's cooling forehead and the din would ease back for a small span of time. It was far too late and he was far too drawn in for the effect to last long though. The evil from Mordor was too far reaching now. His pale hands shook with the effort to regain some sort of control of his own mind.

'I want you to listen to me very carefully, Harry. You're not a bad person. You're a very good person, who bad things have happened to. Besides, the world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside us.'

'Orthanc was a shining hub of learning and light below. His Master's arms were wrapped around him from behind as they flew overhead on a Fell Beast…'

'Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose what is easy and what is right.'

The whispered sentence jolted something strong and uncertain inside the depths of his heart, some deep grief and unknown purpose that stirred him from his internal plight and brought him back to the world around him. They had come to stop before an Ent Gandalf had referred to as Treebeard. The horses were trudging through feet of water from the freed dam. It looked like a disaster zone, a war zone which, in fact, it was.

"HOOM! Young Master Gandalf," Aragorn raised an amused eyebrow at the 'young' comment, " I'm glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and stone I can master, but there is a wizard to manage here, locked in his tower."

Some nameless dread began to fill Valo's heart. Some nameless whisper of danger approaching. It told him to run. Run far away from Orthanc and to the river Anduin. Into the wilds of Rohan, anywhere but here. Some fear of this great tower and the evil Istari inside stirred him to anxiety. Gandalf gave him a conforming squeeze as they approached the Tower. Up above, Saruman's white cloaked figure appeared over the edge of the tower.

"You have fought many wars and slain many men Theoden King and made peace afterwards. Can we not take counsel together as we once did, my old friend? Can we not have peace you and I?" His deceptively calm voice echoed down like noxious rain from the sky.

Aragorn cast the King a wary glance. Theoden had proved to be susceptible to Saruman's influence once before after all. Valo moaned at the feel of the persuasive, deceptive waves of magic Saruman was emitting. He could withstand it but just barely in his present condition. Saruman was a trifle compared to the influence of his Master. His Master's power was strong enough to bring Valo to his very knees, begging for more or screaming for mercy. Oftentimes both at once.

"We shall have peace…. We shall have peace when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lie dead there! We shall have peace when the lives of the soldiers whose bodies were hewn even as they lay dead against the gates of the Hornburg… are avenged! When you hang from a gibbet for the sport of your own crows… we shall have peace!"

Saruman's face contorted in a twisted sneer, bringing another half forgotten dream to the forefront of Valo's mind.

'Someone's dead…One of your people…I don't know who, it was dark…I stepped over the body…I was supposed to be waiting up here when you got back, only your Phoenix lot got in the way…'

But no…The boy who said those words was terrified. Young and frightened. Trying to wear the skin of his father at too fragile an age…Valo shook the thought off. He didn't know who that strange boy was. He was featured in his dream-like visions and thoughts just as often as th eother chief characters: an old man, a young man with the grief of Ages buried in his blue eyes and a girl with brown, bushy hair. They seemed to be acting out a play in his mind only he could never see the outcome. Saruman's infuriated voice brought him back to himself.

"Gibbets and crows! Dotard! What do you want Gandalf Grahame? Let me guess… the key of Orthanc? Or perhaps the keys of Barad Dûr itself? Along with the crowns of the seven Kings and the rods of the Five Wizards!" He shouted angrily, his persuasive influence falling away immediately. Valo could have sighed in relief though his anxiety did not waver.

Gandalf spoke to the furious Istari with the patience born of many life Ages of Men. Valo envied him that.

"Your treachery has already cost many lives. Thousands more are now at risk. But you could save them Saruman. You were deep in the enemy's counsel."

He frowned at that. No. Saruman may have believed that he was the Dark Lord's counsel but his Master trusted no one with the truth of his plans. No one. Something made him believe that there was a reason for that but he could not bring it to mind. That presence in his mind shifted, finally coming to attention at the proceedings around him.

'Run…this place is danger for you.' That voice whispered but Valo found himself too rooted to the spot to react in time.

"So you have come here for information. I have some for you." The White Wizard pulled an object out of the folds of his robe, something that gleamed and shifted in the dim light of day and made Valo's stomach freeze in terror. The Palantir of Orthanc… " Something festers in the heart of Middle Earth. Something that you have failed to see. But the Great Eye has seen it! Even now he presses his advantage. You did not think that you could hold the Dark Lord's Key and not face the consequences? His attack will come soon. You are all going to die! But you know this don't you Gandalf? Or perhaps, the little Dark One has not been truthful about just what he is?"

Valo's skin began to tingle and itch, a sure sign that his magic was bound to erupt momentarily. Gandalf's gentle hand found his shoulder and squeezed it softly but the teen took no comfort from the touch this time. His fear was too great. He allowed the wizard to slide him down into the water so he could lead Shadowfax forward safely.

'RUN!' The voice shrieked in his mind, for once sounding afraid itself.

"The Dark Consort is Sauron's physical link to this world. When you speak to him, you are speaking to the Dark Lord himself. He knows all that his Key knows, they're minds and spirits are One. Valokiloren IS Sauron. Very soon now he will use his advantage and he will move into the vessel that is his Key. He will kill you all from inside your very own Fellowship! Beginning with Isilidur's heir. You cannot think that this Ranger will ever sit upon the throne of Gondor. This exile, crept from the shadows will never be crowned King."

Valo was frozen in terror, grief and fury. He was…He and his Master were one and the same. His Master could take over his body and there would be nothing he could do to stop it. After all, hadn't it happened before? Each time he used his magic didn't a little of his Master leak in with it? The glowing orange eyes…It was him…HE was the biggest threat to this mission.

"No…" Valo whispered and before he knew what was happening, his legs had carried him off.

He ran through the water, to the edge of the dry land as fast as his small body could carry him. Everything he'd ever known…everything he'd discovered and been through was nothing compared to this lie, this one great truth that could shatter the Fellowship forever. In the end, it would be himself that would catalyze the ending of Middle Earth as they knew it. He would be the one Great Destroyer. Was that his purpose all along? Was that why he was created? A Key of Destruction. He could hear them still shouting at the base of the Tower as he ran but the sounds of someone following him through the water echoed in his mind. Was it Legolas? Did he want him to stay even after the knowledge of his purpose? Strong arms caught him up in a tight embrace, rocking him back and forth even as he burst into terrified, grief-filled tears. The smell of wood and pipe smoke reached him at the same time as the whispered elvish words of comfort. Aragorn…For some reason he felt it crucially important that Aragorn understand more than anyone. He had taken him in when no one else dared…

"I didn't know…I'm sorry…I didn't know…" He gasped out between heart wrenching sobs.

Aragorn shushed him and dried his tears himself, delivering a comforting kiss to his temple.

"I know…"

The Ranger led him back towards the group just in time to see Saruman fall to his death upon the staked wheel below. Gandalf turned to see them approach, his eyes filled with sadness for Valo. Valo found his lip trembling once more beneath that gaze. He felt like such a traitor.

"Send word to all our allies and to every corner of Middle Earth that still stands free. The enemy moves against us. We need to know where he will strike."

Treebeard took a step toward them, his being filled with the content one can only get from a righteous vindication.

"The filth of Saruman is washing away. Trees will come back to live here. Young trees. Wild trees."Pippin was already trudging through the water after something while Gandalf came to face him calmly. Theoden brought his horse up beside them, his eyes looking down at Valo with a measuring, calculating stare. It was not a very a kind look.

"If Sauron knows what he knows then we must act. He must not be allowed to hear our plans, Gandalf!" Theoden insisted strongly, his voice leaving no room for arguing.

Aragorn looked like he would protest but Gandalf silenced him with a raised hand. His blue eyes were saddened by what he would have to do.

"It is for the safety of all of Middle Earth." The King said once more before leaving Gandalf to the deed.

Valo was torn between fear, regret and hurt. He turned to his beloved desperately searching for some sort of protest in his defense but what he found made his heart crumble and his spirits sink. Legolas was watching him but not with love or caring as he had before Helm's Deep. His expression showed mistrust now. His eyes reflected betrayal…How could he have known that Valo wasn't leading the Fellowship on a suicide mission after all? How could he have known that Valo didn't know about this the whole journey, wasn't feeding his Master information the whole way. But the knowledge of these thoughts swirling inside the man he loved cut deeper than any flesh wound ever could reach. As Gandalf knelt down beside him, Valo gave no protest, nor any sign that he acknowledged what was to happen. Only fear and despair filled his heart now.

"I'm sorry, my boy, but I will be right here. I'll protect you." The Istari whispered, sounding more confident than he felt.

Legolas wouldn't even look at him now… A cool, soft hand slipped over those emerald eyes and a few whispered words later, the small Morgul child was cast into darkness. His shaking became more pronounced as Gandalf lifted him onto Shadowfax, sliding on behind him to bare the journey back to Meduseld. Valo feared the darkness inside him. Now he had no escape from it. As they started to ride away from Isengard, Gandalf felt the silky wet feeling of warm tears slide down his hand where he was holding their charge close. The whole ride the party spent in silence, the only sounds heard was Valo's whispered, tearful mantra of 'I'm sorry…I didn't know'


	20. I'm naked in the dark...there's nothing...nothing...

A/N: Okie doke! I'm going to answer some questions here that quite a few of you had for the last chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope! No ownage.

Q: What, specifically, did Valo have to fear at Orthanc? I thought it was the palantir, and that if he looked into it he'd greatly risk possession. Why was the voice inside Valo (the horcrux?) afraid too? What did Valo have to fear from Theoden in the last chapter?

A: Okay, I can answer these in all one response. Valo (and the Voice) feared that when the Fellowship heard his true use, that they would try to hurt him. They would see him as a threat and dispose of him the way his Master would dispose of any threats to himself.

Q: Were those thoughts completely of Legolas' own psyche, or was he at least a little bit influenced from an outside source?

A: They were completely of Legolas's own but it just goes to show the influence that Haldir's reaction to Valo had on him and the question of Valo's own nature within the Fellowship itself. J

Soo, that's really about it for questions this go around. Enjoy the chapter!

~~~Chapter Twenty~~~ I'm naked in the dark...there's nothing...nothing...

Legolas looked around the room of celebrating soldiers and warriors and felt…hollow. How could he celebrate with the rest of them? His beloved turned out to be Sauron himself in human form. A walking, breathing threat to their mission. How could Valo have not known something so crucial? So enormous? Sauron's Key indeed…his Key to attaining human form once more. His Key to absolutely victory. He just had a hard time believing that Valo didn't know or at least suspect his true purpose. After all, the teen had LIVED with the Dark Lord for Ages. There was so much that Valo "didn't know". With this latest revelation, Legolas found himself wondering…Just how much of the boy he loved was Valo and how much was actually Sauron and his deceptions. The fact that no one had an answer to that except Valo was telling in his mind. He just couldn't risk choosing a vain, hopeless love over the welfare of all of Middle Earth. He just couldn't…Legolas headed towards Gimli and the drinking game he was preparing for. The dwarf always had sworn on the power of heavy drink to make one forget.

~ o ~

Valo sat up in a room alone, listening to the sounds of the party below. He hadn't been allowed to attend for obvious reasons though Gandalf had blessedly raised the spell that kept him deaf and blind to the world. It was a small consolation. Despair weighed too heavily in his mind now. Now he truly was alone…He wasn't trusted in the Fellowship, his friends all choosing the safety of Middle Earth and themselves over trusting him and rightly so he imagined. There was always his Master but…The thought of Legolas torn at his already breaking heart. What reason did he have to stay…? He wanted the Fellowship to succeed and yet he feared disloyalty and his Master's fury above all else. He feared being sent back into that cursed Sleep. It had been a span since his Master had ordered him to travel towards the Black Gate and he had not dreamed since but Valo could feel his Master's impatience and ire beginning to rise like it were his own.

'This is for the best. Now you are a captive of the Fellowship and not one of their fellows. It's better for you to be a prisoner here than one of the enemy.' The voice in his mind whispered darkly.

Valo bit his lip, a shudder making it's way up his spine. The voice was right. If his Master ever did discover his whereabouts, it would be better if he were a captive than have actually joined the Fellowship's noble cause. So why did a big part of him yearn to be accepted by these people? Why did he ache to belong with them so much? Did he really belong anywhere?

'He will find out about your whereabouts, have no doubt. He is all knowing. He is your Master. He is you.'

His lip trembled and he pushed the despairing thoughts away, turning instead back to listen to the sounds of the party nearby.

~ o ~

The Fellowship started filing in for bed not long after the party began to wind down. The hobbits came in dragging a drunken Gimli by his legs, giggling the entire way. Gandalf followed, shaking his head in dismay. There was a suspiciously round bundle tied to his belt. Valo felt a spike of anxiety peak in him at the sight. Having a portal to his Master so near was distressing to him. He seemed to be the only one who noticed the absence of a certain Elf prince. Aragorn excused himself to walk about, ensuring that everything was well with the men. Everyone was settling into their pallets and cots for the night in the room except for one lonely teen sitting in the corner. He crept from the room quietly once the hobbits were down and Gandalf slumbered. Valo sought out the window on the far end of the Dining hall. In the corner, there were two guards smoking their pipes but all else was still and silent. It was as if the entire world had fallen into a heavy quiet, the very skies seeming to close their great eyes and slumber. The stars seemed to fade into the night itself as he stared out of the window. The darkness of Mordor was spreading, the nights growing still and heavy with the coming storm of battle.

That darkness looked back at him, falling into his very being. It rubbed against places inside him that were never meant to be touched, arching like a giant cat against his soul. Valo's back bowed and he would have gasped in ecstasy but something halted him. Something snapped the spell, flaring in the next room where the hobbits slept. A familiar magic that jerked him towards it as if he were on a hook. His Master…His Master was here? Terror rose in him like a giant wave. Even without seeing what was happening, it didn't take more than a moment for him to deduce what had happened. Someone was using the Palantir. His feet slapped against the stone floors, carrying him towards that room he had just left. He opened the door just in time to see Pippin holding the flaming orb. He was still and quiet, his eyes closed in fear. The moment that Valo stepped into the room though, his back bowed and his limbs seized. The little inquisitive hobbit's limbs locked painfully. Valo could feel his Master tearing through the hobbits mind, sending wave after wave of pain into his small body. Pippin was writhing in agony, his eyes screwed tight and the Palantir held between his hands. The orb was burning and Valo could clearly make out the whispers calling from the thing. His Master's whisper…

Without a thought, Valo did the only thing he could think of to protect one of his only friends. He seized the seeing stone immediately, jerking it from the hobbit. The burning raced up his arms and raged through his very soul. The Great Eye staring out of the glass swiveled around to look at him and the shriek of rage that came from his Master through the seeing stone came with it a wave of furious pain. It tore a scream of anguish from the teen so loud it made every figure in the fortress jerk awake in alarm. He didn't hear any of this though. His mind was turned inward, into the very seeing stone. Into his Master's mind. The agony that raced through him was overwhelming. More powerful than any physical pain, more powerful that any battle wound, stronger than even…Cruciatus? Whatever that was. It was not a language he recognized. It ripped through his senses like a great clawed thing. Like molten hate filling his very veins.

He couldn't hear the door slamming open, didn't see Legolas pulling the hobbits away from him like he would infect them. His thoughts were being torn into, his Master collecting every scrap of information that he could possibly contain as if his mind were cobwebs, falling away at the slightest breeze, his mental defenses simply brushed away. His Master collected every bit and piece of memory that he could find. And then he came to the memories Valo had secreted away in the back of his mind, the memories that hurt him the most. His first kiss with Legolas. Falling blissfully asleep beside the elf. Loving Legolas. And finally, his rejection…His Master shrieked in white hot fury, the pain lancing through his veins. Valo's worst fear had come to pass. His Master had discovered his treachery, his infidelity. Just like the voice had said…And then the worst happened.

Aragorn came into his view, and behind him were Legolas and Gandalf. Sauron's rage redoubled but instead of there being more pain, the world fell into silence. Valo frowned, his stomach turning as all sound muted, all feeling and sensation faded. The breath before the jump. And then it ended. Without warning, his Master ripped through the last layer separating the two of them and everything returned in a blur. Valo was suddenly a spectator in his own body. Saruman's words had indeed come to pass. His Master had invaded his very body. He could feel his eyes blazing orange, slitted and enraged. His back straightened as he took on a posture that had never been his own. His glance turned from Gandalf, holding the other two men back currently, to Aragorn. He hissed furiously at the sight of the heir that would unite Men and supposed bring his- his Master's?- downfall. His eyes found Legolas at last and that white hot rage suddenly roared through him like a tsunami unchecked. This pathetic elf had touched what belonged to him! He had touched HIS Consort! Valo could not determine where his own thoughts ended and his Master's began. They were one and the same, in thought and mind.

He flicked his hand out and a pulse of magic responded to his call. A whip of fire extended from the base of his palm, a deadly extension of his own will. He could see the elf princeling practically toss the two hobbits out of the room. He sneered in disgust. Protect them all you want, little elf. Aragorn stepped forward, his hands up as if to calm him. Valo felt his eyes narrow at the human. Pitiful. They didn't want to harm him. Without hesitation, he flicked the whip out at the Man. The Ranger jumped back but not in time to avoid some inconvenient singing. He was playing with them. The whip flicked out once more, this time catching the bed which caught immediate fire. His head leaned back and a heavy chuckle spilled from his lips. That was perhaps what had stunned him more. It was his Master's voice spilling from between his lips. The shadows in the room seemed to be stretching towards them, swelling and growing like a malignant disease. The Black Speech spilled from his lips like a serpent through the grass.

"'You think you can stand against me? I will wipe you all away from the face of this Middle Earth!"'

He heard the sound of an arrow being notched and with the nearly silent hiss through the air, an arrow flew through the group, knocking the still flaming Palantir from Valo's hand. He shrieked in rage, a sound that should not have been able to come from such a sweet mouth, but not before the flamed weapon sputtered and died out of existence. He hissed, looking at the Fellowship with eyes that swore vengeance. His orange eyes alighted on Legolas and the bow that the elf held in hand, another arrow notched for battle. He sneered through Valo's body, a look that didn't fit the usually kind face.

"'Valokiloren is MINE!'" 

Gandalf rushed to throw a blanket over the rolling Palantir and with the end of it's vision, the influence of his Master seeped out of him like disease from a wound. Valo had a moment of terrible clarity once his Master's power left him. The Fellowship was all staring at him and not one of the looks was a good one. Legolas's face in particular was closed off as if the elf didn't feel a thing about what he had just witnessed. Valo had a moment to realized something: He wasn't like them. He was a monster. And like the rest of their enemies, perhaps he needed to be destroyed as well. His knees hit the ground and he found himself suddenly staring up at the ceiling though he did not remember falling. His body convulsed with the lasting effects of the pain magic that he had been inflicted with and the Fellowship remained too cautious to approach him now. His body did not seem to want to respond and the darkness of unconsciousness began to cloud the edges of his eyes. All he could do was stare at the ceiling and fall into his own mind. All he could do was lay there while he abandoned hope, the ones he loved now made aware of exactly the kind of monster they had on their hands.


	21. He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.

A/N: Alrightie! I know many of you are very excited about this new chapter, so here we go! Enjoy and don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot J

~~Chapter Twenty One~~ He knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.

'Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.'

Valo's world had narrowed to the stone room he had been locked in when they had returned to Meduseld. He had seen no one but Aragorn who visited him when he brought his meals. It was with the Ranger that he sat now, picking uninterestedly at his food. Aragorn was frowning out the window, encompassing the room in a thick silence that neither seemed to know how to break. What does one say in a situation like this? He finally bit th ebullet and broke the silence himself. He could take no more.

"Am I to be a prisoner here then…?"

He hated how weak and scratchy his voice sounded. He hadn't spoken since the night with the Palantir. It hadn't been difficult with no one willing to talk to him in return. He was starting to long for the voice to waken, just so he had something other than the sound of silence bouncing around his brain. Aragorn turned to him with a heavy sigh. His blue eyes were filled with regret and sadness. He had taken him under his care and protection after all. Did Aragorn feel as if he had failed Valo? Or did he feel as if Valo had failed him? The question rebounded around his head like the tolling of a funeral bell. The Ranger kneeled down in front of him slowly, taking his hands in his own.

"Valo…I know that this isn't your fault. Gandalf knows this isn't your fault. The others…just need a little time to see that as well. I can see the goodness in you and I know that you are just as much a victim of this war as any of the fallen outside of Helm's Deep. Even more so I'm coming to believe." His voice was soft and comforting and his sword calloused fingers rested on Valo's cheek for a split moment.

The teen couldn't help the slow rise of tears in his eyes. He could see no light in this like Aragorn did. He was too filled with despair. There was no hope left for him.

"Legolas thinks I'm a monster…" The light in Aragorn's eyes seemed to crumble, throwing Valo deeper into grief, "I'm disgusting…"

He couldn't take Aragorn's sad eyes anymore and he leaned over to bury his face in his knees. The Ranger tried his best to console him but it was to no avail. Valo stayed in that position, curling his grief and self loathing in on himself until he heard the door close, locking behind him once more. His food remained untouched. The next time he saw Aragorn, he had come to tell him that they were moving to Gondor.

~ o ~

Valo was dreaming again. When had he fallen asleep? There was darkness all around. He was kneeling on a stone ground, the smell of sulphur and heat swirling around him, lifting his unbound hair in a breeze. A sickly orange glow emanated from beneath him somewhere though he could not tell from where the flow stemmed. He knew this place. He had originated from here. Mordor. He felt frightened at first and then almost…relieved. Wasn't this where he deserved to be? He could have killed everyone…A heavy, metal clad hand gripped a handful of his hair from behind and yanked him up against a hard armored body. His Master hissed furiously in his ear, his hand clenching Valo's hair painfully.

'I will crush them all and you will watch, my unfaithful one. You are MINE and you will live forever with the knowledge of their deaths on your hands.' 

This was what he deserved, maybe even what he needed. He needed to be back with his Master. Who knew what damage he had done being away from him. What if he had hurt his Master? A pang of overwhelming guilt rushed through his body. Unconsciously, he pressed back into the man who had created him, seeking his presence even as the Dark Lord delivered his punishment. He deserved whatever his Master gave him. He couldn't do anything right. Sauron's laugh in his ear was a snakelike hiss as he pulled a blade out from beneath his black as night cloak.

'This is going to hurt me more than it's going to hurt you. I can touch you now.'

Valo gasped as he was overcome with the feeling of memories stirring, Sauron's laughter and the sharp sting of the blade in his flesh. 

~ o ~

Valo knew that he was not doing well. He could feel his mind drifting, refusing to snag hold of reality. He felt like he was fading, little by little. With every time he slept, every "visit" and punishment with his Master, more of his spirit was chipped away. He no longer bothered to look away when Legolas caught him staring. He no longer sought comfort or acknowledgement from the rest of the Fellowship. When they arrived at Pelennor Fields, he sat where he was directed and did not even try to move. He curled in on himself and wrapped himself up in the safe darkness of his mind. He wished he could just turn to ice and shatter, sink into the ground and never have to see Men or Elves or Orcs again. Maybe a field of flowers would spring from his bleeding heart. Maybe something beautiful would come from all of this pain.

~ o ~ Aragorn ~ o ~

Valo was sitting alone on a boulder overlooking their soon to be battle ground on Pelennor Fields. He was looking worst for wear, Aragorn inspected. He had been steadily declining in appearance and health since Legolas had left him. There was nothing worst than not being able to be with the one you love and yet having to see them day by day. He should know. Aragorn had no doubt that, despite everything, Valo still loved the woodland elf with everything that he was. That was apparent in his state of mind and body. Valo was suffering because of the separation. He ventured a wonder if, whatever his charge was, they could fade like elves. If that were the case then Valo's fading would be upon them soon. He looked terrible…Aragorn's heart bled for the boy and he found his feet tracing the way through the soldiers milling about to where he sat. Alone and staring out into the distance as if waiting for some great wind to carry him away to a place that he didn't have to feel the hurt any longer. He stopped next to Valo silently, waiting for the teen to acknowledge his presence. His ward remained silent like he didn't realize he was even present. There was something strange about the air around Valo. It was different here. It had a familiar scent to it. Blood. Aragorn's eyes immediately found his hands and sure as he was breathing, there was blood coating the pale flesh.

"Valo…Valo, whose blood is this?" He began softly. When he received no response from the seemingly comatose child, his fear mounted. Had Valo hurt someone? Even if on accident? One of the soldiers maybe? He grabbed the teen's arm to get his attention, "Valo, whose blood is this?"

Perhaps he had grabbed his arm a little too roughly but it did not warrant the near shriek of pain that came from the boy's mouth, his eyes watering in agony. Aragorn let go as if he had been shocked. Valo's eyes looked as if he were teetering on the edge of some unknown precipice, a breaking point in which he could see no bottom or eventual outcome. Green emeralds were fractured and shattered into a thousand iridescent shards.

"It's mine…" Was the whisper that came to him, soft as a breeze through the blackened dead trees of some forgotten forest.

Without hesitation or warning, the Ranger scooped his charge up into his arms, striding quickly towards his tent. He paid no mind to the curious or intrigued eyes that followed them there. He laid the quaking teen onto his bedroll, and practically tore the sleeve off to get to the cause of the blood. What he saw made his reel back in horror and disgust. Someone had taken some sharp object and carved a word into Valo's skin. The word MINE bled freely and in stark contrast to the pale skin of its host. As soon as he laid eyes on it, the small wizard began to cry, large heaving sobs that wracked his tiny frame as if he would shake into a million pieces and scatter to the winds. The Ranger's heart felt gripped in the vice of guilt for not protecting his distressed ward and terror, because the implications of it all were too great. Only one could have done this to someone as sweet and innocent as Valo, only one held this much possessiveness and malice over the young wizard's life. They had learned at Isengard that the Dark Lord could possess Valo's body and they had witnessed firsthand that he could possess his mind after the Battle at Helm's Deep. Could it then stand to reason that he could possess his dreams then as well? Could actually cause him harm from afar? The very idea sent a cold thrill of terror through his very bones.

~ o ~

Valo sat in Aragorn's tent, laying beside the Ranger as he slept fitfully. He wished he knew how to give good dreams to someone. It hurt his already aching heart to see the one man who stood by him in pain. He rolled out of the pallet, moving silently to the entrance of the flap. He wasn't really supposed to be walking out and about amongst the soldiers seeing as how he'd been in total isolation. Then again, no one had really told him to stay in the tent. There weren't many lights on. They didn't want to alert any enemies to their presence after all. One light in particular burned with an intensity that drew him closer. A familiar aura pulled him inside like a month to a lantern in the night. The flap swayed back in the wind as if heralding his arrival. Hazel eyes turned to him as he entered, their owner stiff and awaiting his arrival. Lord Elrond…

"The taint of your Master seeps into the very air and earth around you." His deep calming voice was like cool soil on Valo's singed nerves.

Lord Elrond may have seen him as a threat when first they met, but he was a strong and fair leader, a powerful ally and a kind man. If anyone could advise him, it would be the Elf Lord. Valo took a desperate step towards him, his emerald eyes pleading.

"Please, help me…" He whispered brokenly, reaching out, begging for any sort of aid he could find.

"Only you can help yourself now, Dark One." Came the response from beneath the black cloak.

Valo thought that he could detect a trace of sadness buried in his voice. His last hope fell into a shattered pile of desolation at his feet. How could he help himself? How could he change his very fate? He was created to be one thing, his Master's Key to regeneration. What other purpose did he have?

"I don't want to be this. I don't want to be a monster." He couldn't even bare to look at the pure Elf as he spoke. He covered his face with his hands, trying his hardest not to weep in anguish.

He could hear the sounds of Elrond's cloak swaying in the night breeze before a soft, solid hand squeezed his shoulder lightly.

"I may not have quite the foresight of the Lady Galadriel but I do know this. There is still hope."

"I cannot see it." Valo whispered, finally letting his hands fall and look up at the Lord of Rivendale.

Lord Elrond, he noticed, had the same cheekbones as Lady Arwen. He was Lady Arwen's father. Valo's face creased lightly in a frown.

'Your mother died to save you…love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever.'

Where had he heard that? The voice sounded old and kind, someone he had…trusted? Loved? The voice in the memory-vision made him feel safe but sad at once. Mother…He had never before pondered the fantastic concept that was a mother. Had the vision-voice said his mother? The thought brought on another stray vision, this time with images to go with the voices.

'It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. He opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father."Sent owls off ter all yer parents' old school friends, askin' for photos… knew yeh didn' have any… d'yeh like it?"'

The speaker was a great enormous man who seemed to be almost swallowed by the sheer amount of facial hair he possessed. He had kind beady eyes and a big smile that told him immediately that this was a friend and not an enemy. The leather of the book was a solid weight in his hand, so real that he could almost make out individual grooves in the cover even after the vision was faded. He had never had such an intense sensory vision. Valo had to check his hands to make sure he wasn't in fact holding a book filled with moving portraits. He was so caught up in the imagery that he was shocked out of his thoughts as Elrond said his name. Valo's eyes cleared of fog and he focused on the Elf Lord, still frowning.

"Lord Elrond…do you think I ever had parents? Before the Dark Lord and I came from the other place?"

The man's elegant brow creased in thought.

"I don't know, young one, but I believe that somewhere, at some time, there were people who loved you very dearly. Perhaps there is still…Like Legolas."

Valo winced, his heart cringing in heartache that remained just as potent as that first day at Isengard. His loss of Legolas's love was like a deep wound, festering and infection his soul with despair and uncertainty.

"Legolas doesn't love me…not anymore." His voice was no louder than the wind passing the tent by.

Aragorn came into the tent calmly just as Elrond's last statement forced the teen from the tent, his mind forcing away the anger and hurt that his words inspired.

"I know that he does…"

How dare he give him hope in a situation where there was none. Cruel words fell unkind on his hurting heart.


	22. Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising …To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking

A/N: Ok! I know a lot of you really loved the last chapter so here is the next one! Enjoy!

Okay, let me know what you think: Should Harry have had a lover before he came to Mordor?

Disclaimer: Nope! I own nothing.

~~Chapter Twenty Two~~ Out of doubt, out of dark to the day's rising …To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking

In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face.

Valo watched Aragorn saddle Brego with a heavy, fearful heart. His arm stung beneath the bandage still but he paid it no mind. He hesitantly approached the Ranger, secretly fearing another rejection. Legolas had rejected him after all. He simply couldn't understand why Aragorn did not. He looked up at his keeper with tired, desperate eyes.

"You are leaving." It wasn't a question.

Aragorn sighed as he turned to the teen calmly. His own eyes were filled with a regret that weighed heavily on him. Valo knew that he would not leave the men depending on him if he didn't have to.

"I am."

His small hands were shaking and even as Valo tried to stop them, they would not obey his command. The voice in his mind whispered a soft warning. He would likely die if something did not change.

"Take me with you." Even as the words escaped his lips, he could see Aragorn's answer in his eyes, "Please don't leave me alone…"

They did not notice the pair of eyes watching their conversation from a few short yards away.

"No, Valo. Not this time."

"Please-"

"No. You will stay here with the men." The Ranger said firmly.

His tone brooked no room for argument and his words were absolute. He did not understand. Aragorn could never understand the terror he felt at the prospect of being left here with their mistrustful King and the men whose dark whispers followed him like mist. He could feel that familiar dark presence approaching on the eve of battle. The Witch King's power called to him like a beacon in the dark even from this long distance. If he were left here alone, he feared he may never see their return.

"It's because I'm a monster, isn't it…Because I am this thing…This terrible thing." His whispered question brewed with fear of being left behind, his thoughts of Aragorn's true feelings for him and the anguish of his true purpose.

These emotions swirled in his like a storm, chipping away at him more and more each day. He wished Gandalf was here. The Istari would know how to advise him. Aragorn touched his cheek with a tenderness that brought tears to his eyes. Valo feared for a long moment that this would be the last time he would ever see this man that he had come to love as a friend and father figure. Aragorn had always stood by him even when all others turned their backs on him.

"You are not a monster or a thing, Valo. You are a kind, loving person that was forced under the rule of a monster. Never doubt that."

Despite his kind words, Aragorn left a fond kiss on his forehead and turned to go. Valo was being left behind and there was nothing he could do about it except go back to the tent and hope for the best.

~ o ~

Legolas could see the interaction between the two people he held in such fond esteem. Despite his distance and coldness towards Valo in the past few weeks, he had not failed to notice the youth's steady decline in health. Valo wasn't sleeping, he wasn't eating and often times, his emerald eyes seemed as if he were suffering a slow decline into madness. He had been told about the wounds the Dark Lord had inflicted on the teen through his own dreams. It was a cruel existence Valo was leading. Against every ounce of affection he had for the boy-wizard, Legolas often found himself wondering if it wouldn't be kinder to end his beloved's suffering himself. He had more than once found himself standing over Valo as he slept, his hand on his blade about to do the fell deed. He had always managed to fail his purpose though. He could never do it. Despite his repulsion to what Valo had been made into, he still loved him. Despite being the human half of the Dark Lord, Legolas still held him close to his heart. That was why he stayed away. He couldn't trust himself not to give into those precious eyes and fail to accomplish their goals. He would fall into those dear emerald depths and forget all else, sending the entire world into ruin and despair. He had to think of Valo as a monstrous entity, an extension of the Dark Lord himself, otherwise he feared falling into darkness all for the sake of love. That he could not allow. So even as he watched Valo slowly begin to waste, he stood firm and cold. He was a cold tower, a solid rock, and rocks did not love the enemy.

~ o ~

Valo knew that the men were marching to battle now. The sounds of horses neighing, swords being strapped on and the tromping of many hastened feet echoed around the encampment. War was upon them and Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas had yet to return. He sat on the back of a horse in the very back of the troop as he had been ordered. He had been assigned a keeper, one of the Rohirrim he thought, a large gruff muscled man who took no nonsense and had no desire to be assigned "wet-nurse of the abomination child" during the battle. As it were, Valo had been once again blind folded and his hands bound to the horn of the saddle in front of him. Obviously Theoden did not care much if he lived through this battle or not. It was just as well. If he were dead before the Witch King arrived to find him then, it would make no difference to him. He felt half dead already. His body was heavy with exhaustion and he could barely even lift his shaking limbs enough to be of any use at all. His head was bent over the neck of the horse, seeking some sort of relief for the sudden cold that was coursing through his body. The feel of darkness was a sickly sweet scent on the wind as the Dark Army approached.

The voice in his mind hissed in fury.

'Wretched human King. He will have you cleaved in two within minutes in this state! Does he intend to use you as a bartering chip while your human is away?'

It was a possibility that was not a stranger to Valo's thoughts. Would Theoden be so reckless as to try to haggle with the enemy in exchange for him? He would only meet his end that way. The Witch King of Angmar did not suffer fools to live, especially fools of Men. Valo only wished he had told Aragorn how much he appreciated his affection and faith in him before he'd left. If that was the last he would ever see of him, he only regretted not telling the Ranger how grateful he was to him for treating him like a person and not just like one of the enemy. He could hear Theoden's call and a horn blow loud and clear through the air.

"Make haste. We ride through the night!"

The ride was not a terribly long on but Valo shook through the chill of the night with only the hard uncaring man behind him to warm his pale, shaking flesh. It reminded him much of his Master. He was cold and cruel even when they lay together, entwined in the large bed chamber in Barad-dur. When he was whispering to him what a treasure he was, how precious his life was to him and that's why he had to Sleep. When he hurt and bled him for his own amusement. It brought to mind many voice and half-memories that he seemed to be engulfed by the swell.

"You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no...anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just exist. As an empty shell."

"The dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that others don't have."

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself plainly when you have need of him."

It was the first time a name had ever been mentioned in all of his visions. Harry. Who was Harry? It seemed such an odd name after all. Who would want to be named for being hairy? Had it possibly been…his name?

"Hello, Harry Potter, my name is Tom Riddle."

Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Was that who he had been in that Other Place? Had he not been created after all but born into another name, another place altogether? Had he had parents after all?

The sound of the cries of battle shook him from his daze. All around him, the Rohirrim were lined up, the King riding in front of him, marshalling his forces for the War of the Age to begin.

"Ride now, ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin and the world's ending! DEATH!" Theoden cried, riding out before his men.

The soldiers all echoed his cry and for a moment, Valo thought he had heard Merry's voice lost amongst the crowd.

"Forth Eorlingas!"

The horns sound in the day and the army as a whole slowly begins to march forward, urging their steeds on towards the army of orcs growling and roaring ahead. The sound of many hooves hammering the earth was a din unlike any he had ever heard. When the two army's collided, though he could not see it, Valo felt the force of it quake his very bones in his flesh. The man who he rode with must have been a great warrior for he slaughtered orcs left and right. Valo could hear their dying shrieks as they fell under his blade. His blindfold was suddenly torn away and he faced the now snarling man.

"I want you to watch this! We will kill every one of your orc brethren and then you will be next!"

Well that was nice. He got stuck with the homicidal rider. At this rate though, he imagined there weren't many of the Riders who weren't aiming to have him meet some tragic "accidental" death before Aragorn could return from the Dimholt. Perhaps he would get his death wish after all. Valo took in his surroundings with a weary eye. Colossal Haradrim Mûmakil stormed their way into the fray, swinging their enormous, spike lined tusks as they marched into the line of soldiers. He watched a whole man and horse crushed in a single step from one of the giant beasts with a wince. Well at least it was quick. That was the way he would wish to go as well. Maybe his new keeper would just toss him beneath one of the things and make it easy for him. The King's nephew, Eomer, stared down one of the Haradrim boldly. He raised his spear and with deadly accuracy, launched it at the rider. The Haradrim went down within seconds, his death grip on the controls steering the Mûmakil he rode into the one next to it, felling both great beasts in one blow.

"Rally to me! To me!" The King cried from a ways to their left.

A familiar shriek was heard and Valo's back bowed in sudden pain and ecstasy. He was here…The Nazgul flew above on the backs of Fell Beasts. One in particular circled the battle. Valo could feel him sniffing him out. The Witch King took note of the King below and looked as if he would ride down to meet him. Valo released a cry at last, making the Witch King halt in mid-air. Instead of meeting Theoden himself, he sent another Nazgul in his place. He knew that Valo was here. Damn. His Rider had apparently had enough. At the sight of the Nazgul, the man cut his bindings and tugged him off of his steed immediately.

"Go now! Join those monsters or run, whatever you wish, but I will not carry your burden any longer!" With that the man rode away, leaving Valo standing in the middle of the battle alone.

He couldn't say he was surprised at any rate but no matter. It was perhaps better this way. A distant cry of horror was heard and just as he turned to discover it's cause, a wave of glowing green soldiers spilled from the Corsair ships along the river. They were headed by none other than the three men he had been waiting for. A wash of relief flooded over him, so complete that it shook his entire frame. Maybe he would make it after all. Maybe he would live. Legolas and Gimli were counting their kills as usual, each aiming for the highest number. They were all three cutting their way through the orcs, slowly making their way towards Valo's unprotected spot in the field. It was Legolas who saw him first. He had just finished off an orc and had caught his eyes for just a moment. Legolas frowned at the sight of him just standing in the middle of the battle, unarmed yet unharmed and alone.

"Valo?" The sound of his name through those blissful lips sent a small miniscule thrill of joy through his weal body.

It didn't last long though. Legolas's eyes filled with a sudden terror that grounded Valo in place. Even as the elf began to run towards him, using every ounce of his elvish reflexes to reach him, Valo could hear the sound of enormous wings behind him.

"Legolas?" He whispered in fear, knowing that the elf would hear his words no matter how quietly they were spoken.

Legolas never reached him in time. Valo felt himself snatched up into the air before the elf could get close, the shriek of the Witch King's triumph sounding throughout the battle field. Below he could glimpse the King's slow death and the spill of the Dead Army over one of the great Mûmakil. Valo never knew despair and terror as he did in that moment.

"Legolas!" He shrieked as if the Elf could someone protect him from the grip of the Witch King.

His cry only served to draw the attention of Aragorn, Gimli and far off, Gandalf as he was carried away from the battle and into the sky. Even as his terrified tears spilled down his cheeks, he could feel the Witch King's spell fall over him and a heavy sleep overcame his senses. Valo fell into the cursed Sleep even as his comrades yelled unheard for him from below and Theoden took his last breath on the ground.


	23. In the Land of Mordor, where the Sleeper waits

A/N: Alrightie! We're in the last leg of our story here, ladies and gents. This will be the last three or so chapters so I want you all to keep in mind a poll I will be doing during the last chapter: Would you like to see a sequel? I won't be really looking for responses on this until the last chapter because of course you need to see how the story will end, but I just want you all to keep it in mind as we approach the last leg. :)

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~Chapter Twenty Three~~ In the Land of Mordor, where the Sleeper waits

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Legolas stood in the Golden Hall of Meduseld, only half listening to the debate around him. Valo's terrified eyes as he was pulled int the air haunted his every waking thought. His cries as the Witch King carried him away echoed endlessly through his mind. Despite how he had treated him, despite his secret attempts to kill him and put him down, it had been him that Valo had cried out for. It had been him that Valo had reached out to for help. Help he had failed to give. No matter how hard he had tried to distance himself from the Morgul teen, Valo still loved him. He felt the shame all the way to his knees. Legolas had never felt so…inept and useless. He should have stood by Valo instead of letting Haldir's words get to him. If he were completely honest with himself, in a part of his heart that only inspired that deep shame, he had blamed Valo for his dear friends death. He had seen how the soldiers and people of Rohan treated the teen and he had done nothing. He had allowed the whispers and the unkind words. He had even participated at times.

The conversation filtered back into his train of thought.

"We cannot achieve victory through strength of arms." Theoden insisted, his reluctance for further bloodshed an unsaid but understood fact.

Aragorn took a step forward, his voice reflecting the calm intensity and determination radiating from him. The loss of his beloved charge was spurring the Ranger forward. He felt the loss more keenly than any. Legolas was supposed to love Valo, but Aragorn had vowed to protect him. In both, they had failed.

"Not for ourselves. But we can give Frodo his chance if we keep Sauron's eye fixed upon us. Keep him blind to all else that moves. It will give a separate group a chance to move in and rescue Valo in the same breath, right from under his nose."

There was an immediate snort of disdain from Theoden and Gimli coughed in alarm around his pipe. The King gave a sneer of distaste.

"That child is where he belongs. Let him stay with his own kind!"

The dwarf remained uncharacteristically silent on the matter. Perhaps he was feeling Valo's sudden absence in his own way as well. A small blessing. Maybe there was hope for the brusque dwarf after all. Gandalf strode forth as if he would say something but to the party's surprise, Legolas beat him to it. His silver eyes flashed in simmering rage.

"Valo is terrified of that place! You didn't see him as that monster carried him away! I did! He was crying and trying to get away even if it meant falling to his death." He ground out, his voice trailing off under the strain of his shame, despair and a determined fire that was stirring to life inside him. The drive to see Valo safe again, to get the chance to make amends.

"Valo si the Key to Sauron's return to human form. Without him Sauron remains a spirit, he remains cut off from much of former power. If the Dark Lord gain both him and the Ring…Middle Earth will fall to flame and shadow forever." Gandlaf interjected fiercely, adding fuel to the fire that the elf was feeling.

The Istari backing him up only made his cause all the more clear to him. Theoden gave him grudging agreement. No matter how much mistrust the King of Rohan felt for Valo, it wouldn't be on his watch that Sauron returned to his former glory.

"I'll go. Let me be the one to rescue Valo. After all, if it weren't for my own foolishness…he would be here with us. Give me this chance to make up for all of the wrong I've done him."

Aragorn said nothing, only nodded his hesitant assent. Gandalf was watching the elf with eyes filled with careful consideration.

"Sauron will not have left Valo alone so easily this time. He will be very well protected, perhaps even in the heart of Barad-Dur itself. He has likely been sent into the cursed Sleep again. There is also the possibility…that Sauron is using Valo's body on a more permanent basis just to ensure he is well watched and protected."

Legolas nodded softly, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

"I'll be prepared."

~ o ~

He stared out of the window of his cold stone tower that he had woken in. All was dark outside but then again, it was always dark in Mordor. The rotten smelling blight flowers glowed with their eerie luminescence along the banks of the Morgulduin river. Valo felt the Witch King enter the room and his blood ran cold. Would he ever see Legolas again? Aragorn? Anyone? Or would he be killed or put back to sleep, possibly on a more permanent basis. The allure he usually felt for his keeper was strong and he shivered as if his body craved it like a drug. He could handle it though. With Legolas's soft eyes in his mind, he could resist the thrall. Those cold hands, all he had known for so many Ages, stroked over his turned back. The view from the stone room in the Morgul Vale was the same as it ever was. It was as if he had never left to begin with. The pitch peaks of deadly sharp mountain peaks, the smoke billowing from Mordor beyond. No doubt he would be moved to Barad-dur very soon. Then there would be no escape and no rescue.

The cold hands were suddenly harsh and unforgiving, turning him around by a grip on his throat. The dark thrall in the room became overwhelming in it's intensity. Intoxicating. It was like electricity and fire shooting through every cell in his body, pain and fierce desire all at once. Orange, flaming eyes met him from beneath the hooded cloak and Valo's heart seemed to stop. Sauron. Tom Riddle. Master. Those eyes dilated in vicious glee as his spine bowed from the dark aura surrounding him. Like an addict with a drug. He couldn't live without it, no matter the pain that accompanied his fix. Valo felt himself airborne for a half a second only to be slammed bodily back down on the hard stone table that had acted as his bed of sorts when he had Woken. That cold, unforgiving hand was still clenched tightly around his neck. The sounds of the Black Speech cut through the air like the sharp crack of a whip on his brain.

"My beautiful one...you have been very very disobedient." The Dark Lord slammed the small figure down on the table brutally as if to emphasis his words, "You DARE disobey me? Do you forget what you are? I created you!"

Valo cowered before his Master's fury, hating the terrified keening whimper that tore pathetically from his bruised and sore throat. Sauron released him onto the dais like he'd been touched by something slimy and horrid. His eyes blazed in disgust and rage down at him. The teen could feel his anger burning his skin like fire.

"Master-" he began but cut himself off short of begging for forgiveness.

Sauron liked when he gave himself to him when he apologized. Valo knew that Legolas would be upset if he knew that he'd done such a thing, especially for his enemy's forgiveness. He wanted to be faithful. The memory of the prince's coldness towards him brought that train of thought to an abrupt halt. Legolas didn't want him...Sauron caught his hesitation though and hissed furiously, squeezing his throat again in rage.

"Why do you hesitate to beg, pet? What is it that comes between us after Ages together?"

Valo did not give him an answer though his expressive eyes gave his inner turmoil away. His Master's orange eyes narrowed and without warning or mercy, the Dark Lord forced his way into his Key's mind. All Valo could do was shriek as that scorching presence tore through his consciousness, gathering information on the Fellowship's recent activities as he went. Each scene played out in his mind and Valo found himself longing for the days before Isengard, before his true nature had been revealed. He searched until he found the face he desired. The kiss he and Legolas had shared. The elf's tender arms wrapped around him. The scene broke Valo's heart to witness, knowing how the two of them had ended. His heart felt as if it were breaking all over again. His burning presence flowed smoothly out of the panting, sobbing teen's mind like water and silence met in his wake. Against Valo's terrified expectations, Sauron did not lash out at his betrayal immediately. He sat quietly, stroking the trembling, crying teen's dark hair contemplatively. His lack of reaction was perhaps the most frightening part of all. The calm before the storm. At last he spoke and it was in a voice so deadly in it's hissed calm that Valo thought for sure his maker would strike him down.

"An elf. Has he touched you?"

Valo was too scared, too frozen solid to answer immediately. His terror earned him a fierce slap to the face that made his world tilt and spin for a few precarious seconds.

"Has he touched you?"

"No, Master, no! No one has touched!" He cried, gasping for breath when he could.

Sauron seemed pleased by this and his anger dissipated to a boiling simmer. He resumed stroking the dark locks, ignoring the line of blood that ran down Valo's chin from his split lip. Valo ignored it too. He was too afraid to wipe it away. He didn't want to attract more of his Master's attention than he had to. That dark power flexed and coiled inside the teen, turning from pain to desire at it's Master's will. Valo's spine bowed, his sobs turning to pleasurable gasps even though inside his soul cried in misery. How could his Master play with his very physical reactions this way? Was it because he was merely another piece of the Dark Lord? After all, what did he know of souls and things?

"Oh my precious, how shall I repay your betrayal? How should I react to my beloved Consort becoming nothing more than an elf's whore. How you've hurt me…" The Dark Lord crooned in false sadness.

That inner voice was ruthless in it's scathing monologue, coming to light stronger than ever for his Master's close proximity.

'You betrayed the only man who has ever really loved you! You plotted against him with Men and Elves! You whored yourself out to his enemies while he tried desperately to find you. To keep you safe! He gave you life, protection and even gave you himself! You should be left to rot in the deepest depths of Barad-dur, you ungrateful whelp!' The thing screeched, forcing more tears from shining emerald eyes.

Valo's heart wrenched painfully, drawing a harsh gasp from his throat. The remembrance of Legolas's blank eyes watching and weighing him, judging him, was a fresh dose of reality. He didn't belong out there with them. His heart crumbled. The voice was right.

"Forgive me, Master...I was foolish without you. Please, don't banish me from your side. Forgive your servants folly…" Valo whispered in a sob, giving into his need for comfort of any sort and clinging to the Dark Lord's borrowed frame.

He felt Sauron smirk, laying him down ever so gently on the stone. His Master leaned down to lick the fine trail of blood from his pale flesh. Cool hands gripped his waist like a vice but Valo welcomed it.

"My poor beautiful one. I see what this is. This is but a small rebellion. I've kept you cooped up alone for too long, on too short a leash. You've missed me." Hands slid up and down his thighs finally settling on his bare hips beneath his black cloak.

Valo's mind spun.

"Oh no, Master! You are perfect! Please, it was my mistake-''

That his Master could think his faults were his own mistakes was unthinkable! Sauron continued on as if he hadn't heard him.

"You've become restless shut up inside with no distraction. I think you've learned your lesson now. After this little escapade, I believe I can trust you enough to allow you out under certain terms."

Emeralds became round with shock. Truly? His Master would let him outside? Even after everything he had done? Gratitude filled him and he slid his hands beneath the Witch King's black robes along ruined flesh. He wanted to reciprocate the pleasure his Master gave him, to show how much this new declaration meant to him. Sauron's flaming orange eyes dilated in desire. Valo beamed happily, his chest filling with pride. He finally felt as if he were doing something right for the first time since he had been Awoken. He would make his Master happy. That was all that mattered. After all, it was what he was created for.


	24. There are somethings that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep...

A/N: Okie doke! So a very perceptive reviewer pointed out to me that I had Theoden die in the Battle at Pelinnor Fields but he was talking in the last chapter! Whoops! So please disregard his presence in the last chapter please and thank you to the one who pointed it out, you know who you are!

Disclaimer: Nothing here!

~~Chapter Twenty Four~~ There are somethings that time cannot mend. Some hurts that go too deep...

And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass.

Legolas rode forward towards the Black Gate with his friends around him. He was prepared to break off from the rest of the group whenever he got the chance during the chaos of battle to find Valo's prison. He was prepared for anything, he thought.

" Let the Lord of the Black Land come forth! Let justice be done upon him!" Aragorn shouted at the structure, waiting for something to happen.

And then, something did. The Black Gate opened just a small amount, just enough to admit a single Fell-Steed. Legolas was not prepared for what came through. On the back of the black horse was a helmeted figure that Gandalf had said they may encounter. The Mouth of Sauron was the creatures name. He was the Dark Lord's Lieutenant, a twisted accursed being. Sitting in front of him, in the creature's arms was a small black cloaked figure that took them all aback. The shock of what he was at last seeing forced the returned King of Gondor to silence. Valo sat between his arms, armed and silently watching them all. Legolas's heart was in his throat. It seemed there would be no need to go and find the teen after all. Valo had come to him. The Hobbits behind him both inhaled in shock at the sight. The Mouth of Sauron grinned, his enormous teeth stretching the already ripped sides of his mouth, seeming to push out of his mouth, spreading dark blood oozing over the brown teeth. His helmet covered his entire face with the exception of his ruined mouth. He was a being so old that his name had long been forgotten but all, even himself, save the one small figure in his arms. The Mouth was ancient but Valo was older still. There had been whispers that Mordor's Lieutenant had been amongst the few that had come with the Dark Lord from Outside. He was truly a horrible thing to behold.

"My master Sauron the Great bids thee welcome." The Mouth spoke, giving the group that horrific grin filled with rotting teeth.

The Hobbits looked a little pale at the sight of him and though the Fellowship was holding its own at the sight of the pair, they were all seven stunned into silence. Legolas's mind was filled with the image of Valo's smile and laughter, his terrified face as he was being pulled into the sky, and then tried to make it fit the Valo he was seeing now. This Valo truly looked the part of Sauron's Consort: fine black plated tunic encasing his body, falling down to his knees, the slit in the side allowing for his black breech enclosed legs to have full movement. For the first time, Valo's almost impossibly long hair was down, falling about him like a curtain and allowing the faint wind to snag errant strands. A visage of the Great Eye, the same that decorated Mordor's flag, was painted upon his brow as if Sauron himself were staring out of the teen's face. His eyes had been encased in heavy black eye makeup, serving to make his already unearthly emerald eyes look acidic and poisonous. He had yet to look any of them in the eyes, only staring forward with a guarded though somewhat despairing look in his eyes. It was as if he was too afraid to see what they thought of him now. Now that he was back to being his Master's right hand.

" Is there any in this rout with authority to treat with me?" The Mouth said with as much of a frown as his disfigured mouth could give.

"We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed. Tell your master this. The armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return. He must return Valo to us and leave Middle Earth forever." Gandalf spoke loud and clearly across the valley Udun.

Valo's eyes shot to the Istari, widening in surprise at his boldness. Surprise that they would even want him back…A sharp laugh began building in the Mouth's chest, echoing out across the valley so intense was it's sound. The Mouth's booming laugh was grated and stretched his diseased mouth so wide that the edges ripped further than before, spilling black, putrid blood down Valo's shoulder and his neck. The teen didn't seem to notice, much to Aragorn and Legolas's internal disgust.

"Aha! Old Greybeard! You have much invested in my Master's Consort, I see. Perhaps you even care for him deeply. Know that he suffered greatly for your love." Legolas drew his horse forward a step but stopped at Valo's desperate, pleading shaking head. The Mouth, sneered as much as he was able, "And could this be the elvish princeling himself? Legolas Greenleaf…you will suffer greatest of all. Just as your beloved Halfling did."

The Mouth of Sauron jerked a shining, familiar Mithril shirt from his cloak, his gruesome grin returning. Valo had fallen still, his eyes darkening and turning back to the ground as if he were beaten. Only the Fellowship could see the silent rage boiling like a churning sea within those down turned emerald depths. The horrifying figure tossed Gandalf the metal shirt cruelly.

"The Halfling was dear to thee I see. Who would've thought one so small could endure so much pain? And he did Gandalf, he did."Valo released a furious hiss and with a single swing of his sword, he turned around in the saddle and cut off the foul thing's head without warning. The Fellowship took a small step back, their horses spooked for a moment by the quick attack before them. Aragorn led Brego forward as Valo stared down at the body on the ground.

"Sorry Lucius…" The teen whispered before turning back to the men before him.

Aragorn was watching him with soft eyes, pleading for him to be alright. Legolas stood his ground, his mind working overtime. It couldn't be this easy. Sauron would not leave Valo so unprotected after just gaining him back. And if Valo had been punished as the Mouth had said, it suggested that Sauron had been infuriated with the teen. So why was he out of the Dark Lord's sight with only the Lieutenant of Barad-Dur for a guard? It seemed a little too good to be true. The Dark Lord would not give Valo a chance to escape again, not unless he knew the teen couldn't…or wouldn't.

"Valo, come back with us. We've come to rescue you." Aragorn said calmly but his expressive eyes belied the concern for the teen that he was shouldering.

Valo was silent for a moment, his eyes nervously flicking to Legolas. The elf stepped up beside his friend, his hand reaching out for the Morgul child to take.

"Please, Valo…" He whispered, trying to let the teen know how sorry he was.

How big a fool he had been. The horse that the teen rode snuffled nervously and Valo reigned it in, still watching them all. His eyes lingered sadly on the elf prince, no longer longing seeking approval or attention but resigned and worn down. His entire countenance was one of long-suffering acquiescence.

"I love you, Legolas," He whispered brokenly, his voice a gasping sob, "but I'm right where I belong. I'm right where I deserve to be. My Master needs me…and I can't live without him any more. It was a fool's dream to think I belonged out there with you. I can't…be what you want me to be. I can't pretend to be anything more than what I am. Not anymore." As he spoke, he began backing the steed up, the Black Gate reopening for his admittance.

"Valo! Valo, wait!" Legolas shouted but the teen had already disappeared behind the structure.

The Black Gate did not close again like they expected though. It opened slowly but surely, revealing the massive army amassed behind. Mordor was emptying. The battle was beginning.

~ o ~

"By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand! Men of the West!" Aragorn shouted from below, urging his army to unsheathe their swords as the orc army advanced.

The small army was being quickly surrounded on all sides, the scene looking compellingly like a target. In his mind's eye, in his heart of hearts, Valo stood upon the brink. It was as if, as he stood upon an overhanging ledge of the sharp Ephel Duath foothills watching the battle rage below, he was separate from it all, from even his body. Set apart and yet still one somehow. This was his purpose. To serve as a physical embodiment of his Master until his resurrection. The battle for Middle Earth's fate seethed below. The Witch King of Angmar stood at his back, holding him safely against him.

'It is time.' He whispered, his eyes still on the surge of Orcs and humans in the valley.

'Yes, Master.' The Wraith King hissed in his ear releasing his holding on the small figure.

Valo pulled himself aboard the cursed steed, watching the Witch King take to the skies. He spared the battle one more apathetic look, his emerald eyes glowing a firey orange and his Master's will flowing through his veins. He was falling away into darkness…Valo spurred his steed down the mount and from the skies, the Witch King shrieked, heralding his Master's arrival. As he rode down into the fray, the entire battleground stilled for a single heartbeat as he approached, his magic and presence sending a wave of fear over every being in his vicinity. It fell over the Orcs as well but, after all, what were they for if not canon fodder for his war? By the time he had cut into the first Gondorian soldier, the battle had resumed. The Nazgul flew overhead, their shrieks enough to make any man cover his ears and cower.

He looked up furiously as a roost of the Great Eagles swooped down on his Nazgul, joining the battle from the air. He released a furious hiss that was not his own, his hand stretching out towards one of the beasts.

"Avada Kedavra." Sauron whispered through him, the tingle of power in his arm becoming a tidal wave at his Master's command.

A bright acidic green bolt of magic shot from his palm like an arrow, hitting one of the Eagles in the back. The creature froze mid-air before dropping below to it's death. It's fellows cried out at their loss and an emptying space seemed to clear around him. All save one man…Elessar watched him from mere feet away, his sword in hand and a determination in his shimmering blue eyes. Valo felt a smirk stretch his face and he boldly dismounted his steed. He raised his own sword in a challenge. He would take care of this problem now. Men were like an infectious disease. They spread their plague like flies, more and more rallying to the leader. He could take out their leader now and fix the problem before it undermined his entire empire. The sounds of the battle and bloodshed around him only spurred his bloodlust forward. He would have Elessar's head on a platter and be done with the entire line of Kings at last.

He lashed out at the pitiful king, their swords meeting in the middle. Aragorn was a good warrior…but he was holding back. He didn't want to hurt the Key. His blazing eyes met a figure behind Elessar, struggling to reach them. He sneered. That pathetic elf prince. He would skin him alive and then see how pretty he was. He struck out at Elessar again, forcing him back. Their swords met again but this time he pushed a little magic into his blade. It sparked with lightning on impact and, triumphantly, it forced the would be king to the ground. Valo stood over him, his sword raised to end this rebellion once and for all when a whoosh cut through the air. He frowned, unsure why he was stopping for a moment until pain exploded in his side. Valo looked down at his torso, his Master's presence fleeing from his body as the Witch King shrieked from above. It took his mind a long agonizing moment to recognize the arrow jutting obscenely from his body and the blood now pooling in his clothing around the wound. His eyes cleared of all traces of his Master as his sword dropped to the ground beside Aragorn. His emerald orbs met the elf standing only a meter away now filled with pain and confusion. Legolas's bow was hanging loosely from his hands as if he couldn't believe himself what he had just done. Aragorn pulled himself up from the ground just as the Witch King landed behind Valo, scooping him up into his arms before taking flight with him once again. Valo's eyes never left Legolas's own as he was pulled away. Darkness began to tug him into unconsciousness as he was carried across the Ash Plain. His mind rebounded with the thought that Legolas had shot him even though his eyes had said that he didn't want to. Valo's eyes closed, the Witch King beating a hasty retreat with him as quickly as he could.

~ o ~

The Great Eye widened in horror, it's gaze flicking around desperately seeking some sort of survival. The army of Man cheered it's victory as the last of the Orcs fell into the pit swallowing the only entrance to the Black Lands. They could see from the gate, in the distance, Barad-Dur falling, crumbling away. Without another thought, Legolas grabbed the nearest steed of a fallen Rohirrim and set off as if the Nazgul themselves were at his heels. He didn't have time to celebrate their victory now. He could only hope that the Witch King had not taken Valo to the now collapsing tower. He rode to the Morgul Vale as fast as his steed would allow, praying to the Valar that Valo still lived. Aragorn and Gandalf watched him ride away even as the Istari took to the skies on the back of an Eagle. No one heard the screams of a small figure far off in the distance.


	25. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.

A/N: Okie dokie! This our laaaassssttt chapter! What do all of you think about a possible sequel? I have a few ideas for one and a clip or two already written out, so let me know what you think. Should I write a sequel or leave it as it is?

Disclaimer: Nope!

~~Chapter Twenty Five~~~ Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.

Legolas stumbled at last up into the highest room in Minas Morgul. It had been a journey hard on his heart and with every empty room, his heart suffered another blow. He began to fear that he would never find Valo. How could he have shot the one he loved? It had been Sauron he had shot but it was Valo's form that he had aimed his bow at. It had been Valo who had stared out at him in shock and hurt as he bled out. Would he ever find Valo? And if he did…would he be alive? If he was, would Valo ever forgive him? He opened the last door in the black fortress, his breath held in anxiety. What if Valo wasn't here…What if he had been in Barad-Dur all along, buried in the rubble with his Master? What if he never saw him again? With trembling hands he opened the door.

~ o ~

Harry…Harry Potter. Harry Potter. That was his name in the Other place. There was an image of a beautiful woman with long red hair and bright green eyes. She was wrapped in the arms of a man with spectacles on. 

"I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. No doubt they thought it would amuse you." Friends…He'd had friends. Even though he didn't know them anymore, there had been people who'd loved him before his Master. 

"Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love." His mother…The woman with the green eyes. Green eyes just like his. He had family in that other place. A man with blue eyes and a friendly smile despite his haggard appearance and gaunt face.

"Kreacher is cleaning," a strange short knarled creature said grumbling. " Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black-" "-and it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," said the friendly man. 

"You are truly your father's son, Harry..." 

A flash of green light and a young woman screaming amidst the sounds of battle and curses. 

"Harry, no! What are you doing?" She cried in terror.

The sound of his Master's cackling laugh echoed through him but everything seemed muted as if his Master were inside his body again. He opened his eyes to see a strange enormous hall with the remains of a stone fountain scattered about the floor. An old man and several people stood around, shooting curses of every color at one another, caught in an endless battle it seemed. He was walking slowly toward his Master's form in the middle of the hall, the man's arms opened wide for him.

"Yessss, come here, my Harry. Come to me, my dear horcrux." He was enfolded in the man's arms, heedless of the bushy hair girl's cries for him to stop. His Master looked up at the old man who faced him, his eyes filled with sorrow and fear for him, "My faithful, to me!" His Master called and the man began to chant, looking around at the ground around them. 

A circle began to glow in the stone surrounding them and only the Dementor Lord, Lucius and Bellatrix Lestrange reached them before the circle erupted in a doorway of light beneath them. All he could hear was the whoosh of air and the cries of people calling his name.

His vision darkened until he was standing in a strange place, an odd smoking crimson machine stretching the length of twenty healthy steeds easily. He was standing on some sort of stone platform though much of it was covered in some sort of dense fog. Where was this place? It felt familiar and with it, was a feeling of relief and happiness. Within the fog, he could half see the image of a child seeming to play hide and seek with him through the fog. The child wore large spectacles and strange large clothing. Beneath his short, chopped black hair was a pair of emerald eyes. The apparition ducked back into the depths of the fog with a joyous laugh.

"Strange isn't it? I thought the same thing once upon a time. You get used to it." Came an amused voice from beside him.

Valo turned around and saw a young man standing nearby. He was leaning against a pillar smoking some sort of short, white pipe or tobacco stick. It didn't take much for Valo to connect the dots between this man and the one features in his memories.

"Tom Riddle…" He whispered, turning towards him completely.

This was his Master when he was young. Tom smirked slowly.

"I was once. Just as you are no longer Harry Potter. For some time now, I've been you. Or at least, a part of you. I'm the one who keeps you from getting into trouble, it seems."

His eyes widened. Could it be? Could this be real? 

"You're the voice in my head."

Tom nodded, take a long drag on the white stick. His hazel eyes surveyed the teen before him with a somewhat sad look, as if he knew something about what would come to pass that did not bid well for either of them.

"That's right. We're inside your mind right now, Valo. The Witch King healed your wound. It's up to you now when you wake up." Tom said carefully, watching him with a strange expression in his eyes, an expression Valo did not understand.

The Morgul teen looked into the fog once more but the apparition was gone. Only thick swirling fog met his gaze. The thought of Legolas's disdain of him, Theoden's dying hatred, and the Men he had killed in the battle were a crushing weight. He had killed their comrades. How could they ever get past that? How could they ever trust him again? How could he ever forgive himself? 

"What if I'm afraid to wake up…?"

Tom tossed the smoking thing on the ground, crushing it under his boot. He gave Valo a soft look, a comforting gaze. 

"All things must come to an end, Valo, even dreams."

The place around him began to dissolve into darkness. He was waking up and there was nothing he could do to stop it now.

Valo's eyes began to open slowly, his mind buzzing with the swarm of memories invading his mind. He couldn't move. His body refused to obey his commands. He had no energy left to live on. His throat burned from screaming, the trail of blood slipping from between his lips already congealing. Why had he been screaming? The gaping hole in his consciousness, his very body it seemed, struck him like an angry Mumakil. His Master…Voldemort…Tom Riddle…he was dead? A dull pain in his side beneath his ribs forced a strangled whimper from his throat. He could feel the Witch King's death as well, a weight on his already overburdened mind. His Master was dead. His Keeper was dead. But he had lived…why? What was his purpose now? What was he good for now? A soft voice whispered his name though he could not match a face to it such was the state of his mind. He didn't have to wait for long. A face came into his line of vision, a face that stirred his heart and tears of relief to spill down his cheeks.

"Valo…oh, Valar." Legolas touched his cheek, desperately reassuring himself that the teen was alive. His hand flew to the miraculously absent wound on Valo's stomach, "Come on, love. I've got you now. I'm going to protect you now…"

He pulled Valo into his arms bridal style, supporting his head lovingly. He could see the shriveled, desiccated remains of the Witch King near the stone table he'd been laying on. The wraith had given the last of his life force to heal his wound. A wound inflicted by the man who held him so tenderly. He tried to forget the sight of his keeper's corpse as he was placed in the saddle and carried away.

~ o ~

Legolas was watching him. He could feel his eyes even though he was turned away from the doorway. He had woken again in Rivendale, locked in a room alone. The sun was shining in through the window. Valo was glad that all of the people he adored would be able to live safe and happy now, but…without his Master, what was he supposed to do now? What was he living for? Before, he had had a purpose, a dark one, but a purpose none the less. Now what did he have? Nothing. No doubt he was just an unfortunate burden to his captors now that the Dark Lord was gone. He still hadn't been able to let that dreadful information pass through his lips. His Master had been all he had. Valo hadn't moved from the bed in the elvish city since he had arrived and no one had tried to convince him otherwise. Aragorn had come in at one time but he had been too weak to stay awake for long. He had heard the news of Frodo's defeat of the One Ring from the songs being sung all over the city. They filtered in through his window just as surely as the sun did now.

"Lord Elrond says that you are regaining your strength well. Won't you come out now? Frodo has been asking about you. I believe he is worried he will loose another friend." Legolas's voice flowed in like water in a brook.

Valo turned onto his back at last, looking over at the elf warrior. He wasn't really sure what to say to him. Legolas had detested him, and then he'd mourned his capture. He'd shot him and then he'd rescued him. What was going on in that head of his? In truth, Valo could understand being shot. If Legolas hadn't stopped him…he would have killed Aragorn. He would have killed the man who had stood by him no matter what. He had stood by him even when he knew what he was, when his Master had possessed him. But the other soldiers that had been there had not taken his murdering of their fellows kindly. He had been placed on a special guard so that none of them would take it into their own hands to dole out justice. Legolas walked over to him, sitting beside him on the bed. His face looked healthier than it had in some time but his eyes were brimming with regret. He stroked Valo's head tenderly, trying to show just how much what he had done was eating at him.

"I'm sorry, you know…for everything. All of it. How I acted towards you and for shooting you…Please forgive me. I was wrong to doubt you."

Valo sighed, sitting up for the first time in days. He fiddled with a strand of his hair nervously.

"It's alright…I know why you did it." His voice was low, a soft sound like the wind.

Yes, he understood why he had done it. He would have done the same thing, though it would have devastated him. Valo could see that it was devastating Legolas now. The elf took his hand from his hair, giving it a warm squeeze for comfort. He gave a long suffering sigh, running his thumb over Valo's pale hand for a long moment. The teen certainly wasn't complaining. It had been so long since Legolas had willingly touched him. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it…Once his Master had reclaimed him, his mind had constantly been bombarded with Sauron's presence and power that he hadn't even thought of his wayward love unless the Dark Lord wasn't in his presence. He had missed Legolas's soft kisses and his warm arms wrapped around him at night. He'd missed the sound of his soft breathing while he slept. Now Legolas was going to leave now that the war was over and their mission was completed. What reason did he have to stay? Tears pooled in his eyes out of his control. Valo felt like such an idiot. He was crying like a child in front of Legolas and for what? Because things weren't going the way he wanted them to?

"Valo? Valo, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" His voice was full of concern and worry.

Valo covered his face with his hands, too ashamed of himself to let Legolas see his tears. He found himself just sobbing like an infant in the bed, unable to stop himself. He shook his head in misery.

"Your going to leave now! Your going to go back to your home and I'll be left all alone and I don't know what I'm going to do because who wants a freaky little thing like me around now? What reason am I here now?" Valo cried, trying in vain to stem the well of tears so that he seemed a little less like a hormonal woman and more like a logical human being.

An odd sound filtered into his consciousness, a melodic sound that thrilled along his spine but took him off guard. Much to his complete mortification, he realized rather quickly that it was the sound of Legolas laughing. It was a low, amused chuckle that had Valo flushing and burying his head in the hands in absolute horror. Did the torment never cease?

"Legolas, please don't-" He began but found himself cut off by the silver eyes and quick tongue of the elf he loved.

"Valo, will you marry me?"

The question was so out of the blue, so unguarded and unexpected that the usually level headed youth found himself gaping.

"You-…you're serious? You want me? To be your bonded?"

He was so taken aback that he didn't even notice Aragorn and Gandalf standing in the doorway, both brimming with amusement at his plight.

"I couldn't want anything more. Will you be mine for good?" Legolas said, his eyes shining with pleasure.

Valo stared at him for a long moment before he flung his arms around him in a giant hug that would have startled a less agile man. He started to cry again but this time from happiness. He was going to have somewhere he belonged, really belonged, after all.

"Yes!"

Aragorn's crowning would be tomorrow morning and he had already asked Lord Elrond permission to ask for Arwen's hand in marriage. All was as it should be. And so the days of peace descended forth for all of Middle Earth.

Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. 

Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' 

Ambar-metta

Out if the great sea to Middle Earth I am come. 

In this place I will abide, and my heirs, 

unto the end of the world.

Fini!

Sequel is up next! It's called Where the Sleeper Wakes! :p


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